Memoirs of the Lost and Forgotten
by Vamps-with-Wings
Summary: They thought they were doing us a favor. They thought stealing away our memories was the right thing to do. They thought giving us a normal life was best. They thought losing the only family we had ever known was a small consequence in the bigger picture ... They were wrong.
1. Dearly Beloved

**Authors Note: Hello person reading this story! I'd like to take a moment to point out some things you should know:**

**One: This is an AH fic . . . or so it seems *cue ominous music* . . .  
Two: The ages for this story are; Max, Iggy, and Fang- sixteen, Nudge- thirteen, Ella- fourteen, the Gasman- ten and Angel- eight.**

**Okay, I think that's about it. The rest you'll have to figure out all on your own. I suppose I'll let you get to reading the story now.**

_**Chapter One**_

**-Dearly Beloved-**

I stared glumly out of the window, watching as the shapeless blurs of buildings and other scenery rushed by at a steady speed of sixty miles an hour. Colors melded together in a mushy rainbow, perfectly capturing how I felt about this whole 'moving' thing.

I let out a melodramatic sigh, leaning my head against the cool surface of the glass window while closing my eyes and imagining that we were back in Arizona. I pictured the scruffy creosote bushes and the gritty and cracked dirt covered earth. My heart yearned for the wide open spaces and the clear, cloudless blue sky. I wanted to physically _feel _the sun's blistering heat beating down on my back as I stood at the open mouth of one of the caves I had discovered on the towering rock formations a few miles from my house. I wished more than anything that I could stand with my feet over the edge, just hoping that one of these days I would miraculously sprout wings and fly away.

That was the past though.

Now, I was in my mother's tiny, packed car as we drove cross country to our new place of living (I refused to call it home. It would never be home). Today was our last leg of the journey. Pretty soon we would be out of New Jersey, and into Manhatten, where we would then cross the Brooklyn Bridge into our new city of living. You know, the place where the acrid pollution would infiltrate my lungs and cause me to die at a young age. Where the smog and lights were too overpowering, making it impossible to see the stars at night. Where my every dream of flying would be crushed.

I hadn't even seen it and I already hated it with every fiber of my being.

On the contrary, my sister Ella was practically having kittens in the back seat, she was so excited. Throughout the whole car ride, which consisted of many days spent driving and many nights spent sleeping in any number of sleazy motel rooms, I could hear her scrambling from one side of the car to the other. It seemed to be her mission to take in every sight imaginable. From the moment we left Arizona all that could be heard from her was a cacaphony of 'oohs' and 'ahs'.

Fourteen year olds . . . Jeez.

"Look up girls!" Mom suddenly called out, her hands drumming on the steering wheel in anticipation.

With my head still in my hand I glanced over wearily. Up ahead I caught my first sight of the New York skyline. It wasn't as impressive as people made it out to be. All I saw was a bunch of tall buildings clustered so close together I already found it suffocating. Nothing special, not like Arizona was.

"Oh. My. Gosh." Ella stated in a voice of wonder.

I heard her seatbelt click as she untangled herself from it, and when I glanced over my shoulder I saw that her face was pressed up against the glass, her breath fogging it up and distorting her vision. She seemed unpertrubed by this, and just wiped it away with her sleeve. Her eyes were wide and glazed over, her mouth hanging open in evident elation.

"What do you think?" Mom asked, smiling widely at me. I stared back, my face carefully blank. Her grin faltered at this, but then Ella started speaking and she adopted it onto her face once more.

"It's the most amazing thing I have _ever _seen! OMG! This is so exciting," she exclaimed, throwing her hands out and inexplicably knocking over a box full of snack foods that I had refused to eat. Bags of chips and crumpled cookie packages now cluttered the ground.

"Pick it up," Mom said, seeing the mess in the rear view mirror.

Ella grumbled to herself as she cleaned, sweeping up as many crumbs as she could manage. When everything was safely put away she returned to her previous engagement while I leaned back in my seat and continued to day dream about home.

Soon thereafter Ella couldn't help but break the silence.

"Do you know how awesome this is going to be!? Max, we're going to have so much fun! First, we'll have to get a whole bunch of maps, oh and subway passes too! Then we can hit the streets and sight see for a bit. Mostly though, we need to go shopping. Can you imagine all the cute stuff we can buy? It's going to be magnificent," she gushed.

"I hate shopping," I said bluntly, without even opening my eyes.

"Yeah, yeah I know, but still! We have to go, even just a little bit. Ooh, and we can make signs! You know, saying hi to people back home, and then we can go to Rockafeller Center in the morning and be a part of the crowd on the Today Show! The girls back home would freak!"

"Only tourists do that Ella," I replied crossly, frowning to myself.

"So? Technically we are tourists. I mean, we're really new to the area, and it'll probably take us awhile to get used to it, you know? I don't see the shame in buying a few maps and being on _live television_," she insisted.

"_Mom_," I complained, finally sitting up. "She's going to make us look like tourists!"

"Max, honey, leave your sister alone," she said, her eyes never straying from the road in front of her.

"Gosh, no need to be rude Max! I'm going to familiarize myself with everything so that we _don't _look like tourists."

"Whatever, Ella, just do what you want . . . as long as you don't tell anybody we're sisters."

I heard her catch her breath, and then the resounding thump as she fell back onto her seat. When I snuck a quick peek at her I saw that she was leaning back, her arms over her chest and her lower lip quivering.

"Apologize to your sister," Mom demanded, glaring at me quickly before she resumed watching the road.

"Sorry Ella," I said sarcastically.

She sniffled a bit and then said, "Aren't you excited though?"

I stared straight ahead, no emotion discernable on my face. In a menacing tone I replied, "I'd rather be dead."

"_Max_," Mom sighed.

"I don't even get why we have to move here! Have you even begun to imagine the crime rate!? One of us will get gunned down while walking to school . . . Maybe, if we're lucky, all we'll do is get _raped_!" I exploded, not able to hold my feelings in any longer.

Ella shrieked loudly at my claim, and Mom shot me a look that was meant to make me bite my tongue, but I was determined to get my say in the matter.

"Besides, you're a _vet_! Why are we moving to a city with only sparse patches of grass here and there!? It's not called the Concrete Jungle for nothing!"

"You'd be surprised by how many people own dogs, cats and other small rodents. Maybe we can get you a dog. Would you like that? It might make you feel more at home," she suggested softly.

"This will never be home, Mom. _Never _. . . And besides, we already have a dog, remember?" I spat acidly.

"Magnolia is Ella's dog. This could be just yours."

"Yeah, it can be just like Lassie . . . then it will run away and get run over by some taxi in the afternoon traffic. Sounds great," I replied sarcastically.

"Stop being so negative, Max! You haven't even given it a chance. Who knows, maybe you'll love New York," she insisted.

"Or not," I muttered under my breath but she heard me clear as day.

"Or maybe you'll just have to _learn _to love it," she said sternly, giving me a glare that told me to shut the hell up.

For once, I complied.

**-- }{ --**

Mom wound her way through the streets, slowing and speeding up where need be. Through Manhatten the sidewalks had been clogged with people bustling here and there. Men and women in proffesional suits, and then the others in their everyday clothes, juggling shopping bags and sobbing children. It had all looked just so wonderfully inviting.

Um . . . not!

Finally though, we had managed to cross over the Brooklyn Bridge. I had stared down at the murky waters of the East River, noticing with a keen eye that the current was swift. My eyesight had always been that way though. Better than normal. I never questioned it, and everyone else just added it up to hightened senses. Nothing special, nothing _truly _abnormal.

As we entered Brooklyn the sense of foreboding in the pit of my stomach deepened. The inevitable was coming closer and closer. Soon I wouldn't have any choice but to unpack my few meager belongings and settle into life in New York.

I hated the sound of that.

"Did you know that New York City is actually made up of five boroughs? Manhatten, Queens, The Bronx, Staten Island and Brooklyn, which is where we're going to be living," Mom said cheerily, trying to lighten the mood.

Ï glanced at her dryly, rolling my eyes at her meager attempt while Ella 'ooh-ed' like a good little girl.

"Brooklyn also has the highest population of all the boroughs," she added, navigating a sudden turn which had my elbow knocking against the side of the car. She muttered a quick sorry.

"I see you did your homework like a good girl. Would you like a gold star?" I asked sarcastically.

"Normally I would respond to that," Mom said heatedly, giving me 'the look' which was usually saved for special occassions. Of the late though, it had been used more frequently. I hadn't been much of a saint these past few weeks. Ever since she told us we were moving and my whole life came to an abrupt halt.

Then she continued on to say; "but we're here."

She eased the car into a spot behind a weathered and battered looking camaro. From my perch I couldn't see what model it was, but then again, I was never really good with cars anyway.

As soon as my mom shifted to park and the doors automatically unlocked Ella had herself out of her seatbelt and tumbling through the door with impressive speed. She almost tripped over the ledge of the sidewalk, but she flung her hand out and grasped a park bench's handle to stop her fall. Mom soon followed suit, though albeit a bit more slowly. I, however, remained rooted to the spot, content to observe my surroundings from the passenger seat.

The house in question, which I had never seen before- even in pictures, was only two stories high. It was made of brick and had an aging wooden molding. The roof was completely flat, and I vaugely saw a fire escape poking out from the side of the building, leading all the way up to it. It was inconspicious . . . medium sized and blend-able.

At least it would have been in a sea of architectural designes like its own. It's placement now though . . . not so much.

Finally I managed to drag myself out of the car, trailing my feet across the ground as I approached Mom and Ella. There we stood, side by side, staring at our new "home".

"Well . . . what do you think?" Mom asked slowly, breaking the comfortable silence. For once, she sounded genuienly afraid. As if our opinion actually mattered.

"It looks like a midget compared to those monsters," I replied, indicating the towering buildings surrounding it. The one on the right appeared to be just a bunch of office space, while the one on the left seemed to be apartments.

"I think it's unique!" Ella enthused, grinning brightly.

"You would," I muttered, kicking at a pebble by my foot and watching with disinterest as it skittered across the concrete and landed with a plop in a muddy brown puddle at the side of the street.

After that I straightened up, putting on a mock smile and saying, "Would you like me to say a few words?"

The reproachful look I got from Mom told me exactly what her answer was, but I continued to speak anyway.

"Dearly beloved . . . we are gathered here today to witness the unbecoming and atrociously disasterious demise of my _entire life_. Let us take a moment of silence in recognition for this deed," I spat angrily.

I ran forwards then, knowing what the pricking in my eyes meant. I didn't want my family to see. I didn't want them to realize I was capable of weakness. Without a second thought I gripped the sides of the fire escape, taking the creaking steps two at a time. The whole thing shook as I thundered up them, but I didn't care. The worst thing that could happen was for me to fall . . . and maybe death would be welcome at this point.

**Authors Note: Review? Please, tell me what you think. I need to know if this story is worth continuing or not.**


	2. Flying

**Authors Note: Yay! I got some really good feed-back, which made me really happy. I hope you guys like this chapter as well. It's sort of filler-ish.**

_**Chapter Two**_

**- Flying - **

Once I had reached the top I slowed down a bit, before finally skidding to a halt close to the edge of the building. There was a rickety railing along the back end that leaned precariously forwards. I could see the rusted nails that were bending backwards as the rest of the metal pushed in the other direction, out into the open air. I didn't hesitate to approach it, placing my elbows on it and resting all my body weight onto the thin rod. It gave out a low moan, creaking forwards an inch. That was all the farther it gave, though.

I put my head in my hands and blinked away the tears that were forming. One lone droplet escaped though, trailing slowly down my cheek. I swatted it away quickly, wiping my face dry with my sleeve. There was no use in crying. Weakness brought nothing. If I had thought formulating some sob story would make my mom change her mind about moving us here than I would have done it a long time ago.

This didn't change my view on things. I was still repulsed by the very idea that I would be stuck living in New York. Two years, two years I would have to put up with this. Then I would turn eighteen and I'd be free to do as I pleased. First priority? Packing my bags and shipping myself back to Arizona.

If it was legal I would do it now. I had always been pretty good at fending for myself. Being a single mother, Mom had to work a lot of extra hours to make enough income to support two teenage daughters. Though I wasn't exactly high maintnenced, and neither was Ella for the most part.

At least that was how it was before the checks . . . They started coming around two years ago . . . a lot of things happened two years ago, but it's not exactly something to mull over at a time like this.

My 'father' finally decided it was time to pay off some of those indebted child support bills. In addition to that, he began sending monthly checks that consisted of about three thousand dollars. I could do with it what I pleased.

I put all the money to good use.

Suddenly, we had extra funding. Mom could stay home more, which meant we had more time for the fluffy family bonding that made me want to gag. Ella could take spontaneous shopping trips, or she was able to afford those new hundred dollar jeans she had seen in the mall. Then the money leftover was stashed away in my bank account, the one that would be activated and open to my use when I was eighteen years old. I had a feeling it was going to come in handy in a few years time . . .

The more I thought the more my mind cleared, and ever so slowly I prepared myself to face the questioning glances from my family. I knew I wouldn't be truly ready though until I did one thing.

I needed to get angry.

It wasn't exactly a hard thing to do. There was any number of things I could think about that would turn my features hostile. There was a lot I hated about the world, not that I was a total pessimist.

Then there was the one surfire thing that would make me absolutely _livid_.

A letter . . . from my father. I had gotten it about a year ago, and its contents had me ripping the note to shreds. Not before I commited his words to memory, though.

_Dear Maxine,_

_I hope you have been faring well these past years. I have come to understand that the traumatic event that occured has influenced you greatly. It has also come to my attention that unlike what most psychiatricts you've seen have predicted, you are taking the incident with varying degrees of hostility. I understand that this time is hard for you, but that is no reason to take your anger out on others._

_  
For this reason I must suggest that due to the current circumstances, maybe what is best for you is a breath of fresh air. I offer a preposition for your taking. _

_It would be my utmost pleasure to tap into my previously neglected visitation rights. Perhaps a few weeks here in my home would help you calm down and think about your priorites in life._

_If you choose to decline this offer, so be it. Enclosed in this envelope is your monthly check, along with a thousand dollar bonus. I hope to see you soon, sweetheart._

_With all my love, _

_Daddy_

Yes, just pay me off there, Jeb. What a good fatherly thing to do. Act completely formal and stiff until the very end, when you attempt to fulfill some of the space under your quota. I bet the letter had been scheduled into his planner by one of his assistants. He probably hadn't even wrote the note _himself_!

If there was one thing I hated more than New York, it was Jeb Batchelder.

With hatred burning in my eyes and an almost painful tightening in my gut I began the treacherous climb down the fire escape, knowing that through my fury I could handle almost anything Ella or Mom threw at me . . .

This was how I handled my problems. Anger was my only escape . . .

**- }{ -**

The rest of the day flew by in a flurry of activity. My thighs were thoroughly burning by the many trips spent walking back and forth with the many boxes Mom had somehow managed to fit into our tiny car. With every lifting motion my arm muscles coiled and flexed, aching in such a way that I had never experianced before.

I never knew moving could take such a work out.

Finally though, the car had been stripped bare of its extra bagage, and all the unnecessary crap Mom felt the need to bring was now strewn across any available surface in the house. I had slowly and painstakingly wound my way through the maze of boxes until I had collected each and every one that had my name printed on it in bold letters.

All two of them.

With each in tow I had stumbled up the steps, using my foot to kick open the door. I entered my room for the first time, hefting the boxes onto the desk that had been shipped out a few weeks earlier. With my hands on my hips I surveyed the room with disdain, taking in the white washed walls and the beige carpet. I planned to keep it that way. I didn't want to get too attached to the space . . . though that wouldn't be too hard when I thought about it.

Then I began methodically assembling my belongings.

I stored away all my clothes into the closet and dresser. I spread my comforting blue blanket across my bed, flashbacks of Arizona ringing through my head at the familiar object. Last but not least I placed one picture on the bedside table, after holding it delicately in my palm for a few moments. I had let out a soft sigh, running a thumb over the smooth glass while staring thoughtfully at the picture encased within it.

It had been taken around two years ago . . . a few weeks after the accident. Ella and I had been relaxing in the back yard, sipping lemonade and chomping down on Mom's amazing chocolate chip cookies. The ones that made my mouth water when just the thought of their taste formulated in my mind. I had been scanning the horizon nonchalantly, not really looking for anything in particular when my vision zoned in on a small wheeling creature in the sky. Ever so slowly it had dwindled towards the earth, close enough for my to clearly see what it was.

A hawk.

Just the sight of it had sent a trill down my spine, and there was this feeling in the pit of my stomach, one that I couldn't identify no matter how hard I tried. A sudden bout of longing had wracked my body, and with an exclaim of joy I had jumped to my feet, steaking across the yard to get closer to the bird.

I don't know why I did it then. I mean, I was fourteen years old at the time, quite old enough to know better . . . but I couldn't stop the childish sense of glee from enveloping my entire being.

I wanted to fly.

I wanted it more than anything I had ever wanted before. I wanted to spread wings I didn't have and soar high above the earth. I wanted to feel the wind whipping through my hair at dizzying heights, where only airplanes ventured.

Somehow, I had managed to climb the fence surrounding our property. I had perched on edge there, tipping this way and that, trying to find my balance. Finally I had found the right position, and there I had stood straight and tall, with my arms stretched out wide around me.

For the first time I felt just a little bit complete.

At some point or other, Mom had snatched up her camera and taken a picture. Now I had a little piece of my already fading memory stored in mint condition. The little details that would go fuzzy for most people would be perfectly pristine in my mind as soon as I examined this picture; with my hands aloft at my sides, stretching outwards as far as they could go . . . and the hawk above my head, swooping towards the trees.

You couldn't see my face, because my back was turned, but I would always remember how I felt that day. Not in the subtle tilting of my head as I gazed upwards at the vast sky . . . but in the still present longing to fly.

That was something that would never fade.

**- }{ -**

I slumped lazily on the couch, sighing in content as the familiar fabric sunk and molded to my body, just like always. It was all the familiar things that made me miss Arizona all the more ferverantly . . . all the little pieces of home that had been glued into a picture they weren't originally made in. A strange and entirely different world that made them stand out all the more obviously.

I grasped for the remote, flipping aimlessly through the channels; never staying on one for more than a few minutes. Around me Mom was rifling through the remaining boxes, trying to sort through all the important stuff and that which we didn't immediately need.

I heard Ella tromp down the steps, a light skip in her step. She really was genuinely excited to be here . . . Sometimes, it was like my sister and I were from a whole different planet. Almost like I had grown up in an entirely different way than her.

"Ella, it's almost ten o'clock, you need to go to bed," Mom said sternly, catching sight of Ella meandering in the kitchen doorway.

"_Why_?" Ella whined.

"You have school tomorrow, remember?"

"What!?" I exclaimed, her statement catching my attention immediately. I jabbed at the power button, turning the TV off before swinging around to face my harried looking mother.

She groaned in frustration, running a hand through her hair before putting her head in her hands and sighing once more.

"We just got here today, and you except us to go to school!? Why so soon?" I demanded.

"Well, I already had you registered, and I figured it would be easier for me to handle moving all the rest of the stuff in and clearing away all the boxes if you two weren't under foot," she explained tiredly.

"This is ridiculous! Don't you think we need some time to settle down!?"

"I'm sorry, Max, but the school has already made plans for your arrival. It's too late to back out now."

"It wouldn't have been too late if you had told me about it _earlier_, not the night _before_!" I exclaimed.

Mom shook her head, obviously not knowing what else to say. She instead turned to Ella and ordered, "Bed. Now."

"But Mom, why do I have to go to bed? We live in New York now! You know, the _city that never sleeps_," Ella insisted.

I snorted. "Really? Because it looked pretty dead to me at seven o'clock in the morning."

"Yeah," Ella said quickly, searching for the rights words, "but when we came out of that little cafe we ate breakfast in, things were bustling!"

"Yeah," I replied, mimicking her tone, "because Macy's had opened for the day."

"Girls! Stop arguing!" Mom shouted, throwing her hands up in desperation. "Ella, bed!"

Reluctantly Ella turned away, trudging back up the steps. A few seconds later I heard her door slam shut forecefully. I couldn't help but chuckle to myself, though this only seemed to anger Mom further.

"Max, take out the trash and then head on up to your room yourself," Mom commanded, giving me a look that said 'don't you dare defy my'.

"I don't know where to take it," I spat, walking over to the two large trash bags and hefting them over my shoulder.

"Just go straight through the back. There's a parking lot behind the house. You can't miss the dumpster," she explained, propelling me towards the back door, as if she couldn't wait to get rid of me . . . or maybe it was just the trash she wanted gone.

I strolled out into the night, lugging the bags behind me. I had just slammed the lid of the dumpster back into place when there was a flash of movement out of my peripheral vision. I tensed up immediately, preparing for the worst.

**Authors Note: Would it be too much to ask for a review?**


	3. Trash Talk

**Authors Note: You had some good guesses at who it's going to be . . . so read on to see if you were right. Oh, and, happy Easter!**

_**Chapter Three**_

**- Trash Talk -**

With a lightening fast precision I whirled around on my heel, swinging my hand up and grabbing a fistful of cloth that was, upon closer inspection, actually the collar on a shirt. The person who wore the article of clothing began tugging uselessly on my hand, trying to escape my grip.

"Let me go!" They wailed, sounding close to tears.

"Who are you? And why are you snooping around the dumpsters so late at night?" I demanded, narrowing my eyes and examining the culprit before me.

It was boy . . . a young boy, maybe only eight or nine at the most. He wore torn and dirt encrusted jeans, making me think he had been in some sort of scuffle. His shirt, previously a light blue color, had turned a brown-ish shade in some spots, like he had been rolling around in the dirt somewhere. His light blonde hair was plastered to his head with sweat, while other locks were being flung haywire in the slight breeze. His eyes were wide with fear, tears beginning to form over his blue eyes.

I loosened my grip a bit, moving my hand so that I held him by the forearm. He visibly relaxed, seeing that my expression had changed from hostile to a slight tenderness that emanted from my features. It was only a kid, after all.

"What's your name?" I asked gruffly.

"A-Arthur . . . but everybody c-calls me Ari. It's my nickname," he said meekly.

"And why is a kid like yourself out so late?" I inquired, still not letting go of his arm for fear of him running away.

"I'm not a kid!" he exlcaimed pompously. "I'll have you know I'm nine years old. That's close to being a teenager!"

I couldn't help but laugh at how defensive he got.

"You didn't tell me your name," he pointed out after I was done chuckling to myself.

"Yeah, well you didn't answer my question," I retaliated.

"I'll answer when you tell me your name," he insisted.

I had to give the kid some respect. He was acting a lot more like me than I would have expected. Most kids his age wouldn't dare to make negotiations with a big, bad sixteen year old.

"Fair enough," I conceded. "I'm Max."

"Max . . . that's a cool name! I wish my name was Max . . ." he stated, grinning from ear to ear.

"Well I guess only some of us get to be a special as I am," I replied before going on to say, "Now what are you doing out here in the middle of the night, with no supervision, looking like that?"

He shuffled his feet nervously, looking anywhere but at me.

"Oh God, please tell me you're not a runaway!?" I cried.

He looked up sharply, shaking his head back and forth. "Of course not . . . I live a few blocks away."

"Then why aren't you there, asleep in your bed? These streets aren't safe enough for a nine year old boy to be wandering aimlessly about. Haven't you learned that bad people come out a night?" I demanded.

"Are you a bad person?" he asked, his voice cracking as he began to take a step backward.

"I guess it's your lucky day, because I happen to not be one of those people. I just moved into that house right there. My Mom made me take out the trash," I informed him, indicating the shadowed doorway of our house.

"No wonder I haven't seen you around anywhere."

He was stalling . . . it was obvious. I couldn't actually fathom a reason why though. I mean, could the highlight of his day really be talking to me beside the dumpsters? Could his home life be _that _bad?

"Enough chit chat. It's time for you to get home, Ari. Your parents are probably worried sick about you," I insisted.

His face turned solemn and he said in a blank monotone, "I don't have any parents."

I didn't know what to say to that. I had a feeling that giving him my condolences at his misfortune wouldn't really register. It seemed to me that he had already gotten used to the fact that his parents were gone.

"I live in an orphanage . . . but I don't like it there, so I leave sometimes."

"You could get in serious trouble for that!" I exclaimed.

"They don't ever notice. No one really cares about me," he replied.

"Surely you have some friends there."

"No," he said simply, and I could sense that he really wanted to drop the subject completely. For the time being I could respect that.

"Well, now you don't have to worry about that anymore. I'm your friend," I told him proudly, giving him a wide smile.

I swear I've never seen someone so happy.

Ari let out a whoop of joy, grinning from ear to ear. He pumped his fist in the air, jumping up and down in excitement, finally dislodging himself from my grip. I expected him to turn and run then, but he stayed put, still smiling like the Cheshire cat himself.

"Really? You mean it!?"

"Of course," I said with a nod. "But only if you go home now."

"Okay . . ." he said sadly, "but only if you promise to visit me _all _the time!"

I hesitated. The last thing I needed was to make promises, especially to this innocent kid. There were times when I rarely followed through with what I said . . . Could this be one of them? I hated to get Ari's hopes up, just to crush them . . . He was just a child, after all . . . A lonely, parentless child with no friends but me now. After knowing that, it was impossible for me to say no.

"I promise," I replied, shaking his hand to make it official.

He dashed off into the night, scurrying between two buildings and disappearing from sight. Soon he was too far away for me to even hear his footfalls as he ran towards his home. I sincerely hoped nothing happened to him on the way there . . . maybe I should have gone with him, to make sure he got home safely . . . Then a thought struck me that made acid churn in the pit of my stomach . . .

I had just attached myself to someone in New York.

**- }{ -**

I lay awake in my bed, staring blankly at the ceiling. Flashes of images were rebounding around in my mind. Little snippets of Arizona and what I had seen of New York combined. A city street full of honking cars. A piece of clear blue sky. I wanted to sleep, but my head was abuzz with these kinds of thoughts, making reaching such a state impossible.

I heard movement out in the hallway; the creak of a door and the soft padding of feet across the plush carpet. I counted the footsteps until I could hear no more. At that very moment my door was pushed softly open, and Ella's face came into view, peeking around the edge.

"Max, are you awake?" she whispered, not daring to come any closer.

"Yeah, I'm up," I replied softly, lifting myself up onto my elbows to get a closer look.

"Can I come in?" she asked hesitantly, still not moving from the doorway. In the dim lighting I could see her knuckles turning white as she held onto the door frame as tightly as possible.

"Sure," I said with a nod.

She stepped into the room slowly, closing the door without so much as a creak or thump. The only sound that could be heard was the faintest click as the mechanism snapped into place. She turned just as cautiously, tip-toing over to my side. In the vague moonlight streaming in through the single window on the same wall as my bed I saw that her face was streaked with red, and her eyes were slightly puffy.

She had been crying.

"Ella, what's wrong?" I asked in concern, sitting up straight and making some room for her to sit as well.

She sniffled a bit, rubbing her eyes before saying; "I . . . I miss home."

I was stunned, to say the least. Ella had been so excited about living in New York just a scant half hour ago . . . and now she's bawling her eyes out, wanting to go back home? The shock must have shown on my face, because she hurriedly went on.

"I mean, I still love it here, and I'm still glad we came . . . it's just . . . different," she admitted, fingering the edge of her t-shirt as her shoulders began quivering once more.

"Oh Ella," I murmured softly, pulling her into an embrace. She wrapped her skinny arms around my waist, laying her head on my shoulder. I gently stroked her hair, frantically searching in my mind for the correct words to say.

"Of course it's different Elle . . . we went from living in a small, kind of rural town to _the _big city. It'll take some time to get used to this way of life. Things like this just don't come automatically to people," I told her comfortingly. "You're so smart though, and so charismatic. You'll find your place in no time."

"That's not what I meant," she muttered.

"What _did _you mean then?" I inquired, my brow furrowing.

"It's not different in the way you think. I'm talking about our family . . ." she trailed off, finally managing to sit up. She untangled herself from my arms, instead choosing to sit cross legged across from me.

"What's different about our family?" I asked in confusion. We were still the same people as always . . . right?

"Nothing's the same! Mom is always so stressed out and busy . . . and you're always angry. I knew you could be mean and stubborn Max, but you've never been this deliberately nasty before. You pick a fight with one of us over the smallest thing. You don't even want people to know we're sisters!" She cried, tears fresh in her eyes.

"I'm sorry, Ella. I didn't mean that when I said it . . . I was just upset," I insisted.

"I know, Max, I know. You're just so frustrated that Mom had to move us cross country. You're so mad that she's trying to make a better life for us. Well you know what? You're making everyone else miserable with the way you act! Everything doesn't revolve around you Max, contrary to what you must believe!"

I inhaled sharply, my eyes going wide at her words.

She saw the hurt look on my face, and quickly said, "I'm sorry if I sound harsh . . . but it's the truth."

And it _was _the truth.

I had been so caugt up in my own problems, that I hadn't even realized what everyone else had been going through. Mom was probably about fed up with my attitude . . . and I had been less than friendly to Ella of the late. We used to be so close. Most sisters got into petty squabbles, but Ella and I never fought. We shared everything and we got along better than anyone I knew. She was pretty much my best friend.

"I just . . . I don't want to live here if that means everything between all of us changes," she said weakly. "I want things to go back to the way they were before . . . I want my big sister back."

Her lower lip began to tremble, and I couldn't stop the tears of my own forming in my eyes.

"I'm so sorry, Ella. You're right, you're right about everything. I'll try harder, I swear. Things will go back to normal once we get settled in I promise," I whispered fiercely.

Here I go again, making promises that I may or may not be able to keep. I would make an effort to be my usual self . . . but knowing that I have to live in New York always makes my mood turn sour.

"Thanks Max," Ella said, smiling for the first time.

I grinned back, taking her hand in mine and squeezing it comfortingly.

We sat in silence for a few minutes, just staring off into space when Ella spoke up.

"Max?"

"Mhm?" I asked, swiveling my head around to look at her once more.

"Do you really hate it here?" she questioned, staring at me intently.

I thought about it for a moment, gathering my bearings. I tried to formulate an answer that wouldn't sound too harsh, especially at a time when Ella wans't completely emotionally stable. The last thing I needed was for her to burst into tears again. I had had enough sobbing for one day.

"Yes . . . and no," I replied slowly.

"_Max_," she complained. "That's not a real answer!"

"Yes it is, and it perfectly captures the way I feel about moving," I insisted.

She looked at me oddly then, cocking her head to the side curiously. With a sad shake of her head she said, "You know, sometimes I just do _not _understand how you think."

I laughed quitely to myself. She had no idea.

Downstairs I heard the low rumbling of the TV switch off, and the light movements of my mom shuffling a few things aside as she made her way towards the steps. There was a bang that was loud enough for even Ella to hear, and her eyes widened in horror.

"You might want to get to sleep before Mom comes to check on you and finds your bed empty," I informed her.

She nodded furiously, scrambling to her feet and bounding lightly to the door. Just before she left I called out to her softly. "Good night, Ella!"

"Good night, Max."

Then I remembered something . . . I had school tomorrow . . .

_Great_.

**Authors Note: Not what you expected was it? Well, please, please, **_**please **_**review! **


	4. Impressions

**Authors Note: Since it seemed to confuse some people, Ari is NOT Gazzy. They probably seem physically similiar, but they're not.**

_**Chapter Four**_

**- Impressions -**

_Beep. Beep. Beep._

The insistent ringing in my ears reached a crescendo, forcing me out of the last dregs of sleep. I groggily blinked my eyes open, rubbing my face with my hand before rolling over and slapping my palm across the alarm clock, hitting snooze and effectively ending its constant chatter. In blocky, bold red letters it spelled out six o'clock AM.

Damn it.

I turned my back to it, curling up into a ball under the covers. My eyes fluttered shut once more, as if going back to sleep would solve all my problems. I was just about to drift off once more when the smell hit my nostrils full force.

_Bacon_.

I was out of my bed and tumbling across the floor in record time. I reached the door and flung it open, thundering down the steps at such a speed you'd think my life depended on it. I skidded to a halt in the kitchen, sliding a few feet on the linoleum. I whipped my head back and forth, searching for the source of that most delicious and tantalizing scent.

"Good morning Max," Mom said brightly, laughing at my harried expression.

My sight zoned in on her, spatula in hand as she stood before the stove. She had just poured a good amount of pancake batter into a pan, and right beside her, on a paper towel covered plate was the bacon.

I began moving forward as if in a trance, my hand reaching out before me as I got closer to the meat I was going too slow though. The smell was enveloping me in a heavenly manner, but my feet weren't carrying me forwards fast enough. I ended up running the last few steps, taking extra long strides.

"Be careful it's-" Mom began to warn me.

I snatched up a piece of bacon, shoving it into my mouth with evident delight. Its taste flooded my mouth . . . along with the scalding sensation on my tongue. I spit the half chewed meat into the trash, waving my hands in front of my face as if that would cool my burning mouth off.

"Ow, ow, ow!" I exclaimed, hurrying to the sink and glugging down some water straight from the tap.

"-hot," my mother finished, rolling her eyes.

I smiled sheepishly, biting my lip in embarrassment.

"Whoops?" I said, though it came out sounding more like a question.

"I tried to warn you," she reminded me, turning back to the stove and expertly tossing the pancake into the air. It flipped a couple times before smashing into the pan with a loud 'thwack'.

"Yeah, yeah, and since when do I ever listen?" I replied teasingly, going to stand at her side.

"I noticed that, actually," she said.

It was this kind of effortless banter that usually filled the empy spaces of our house. The laughter and the shared smiles was what made living with my family so incredibly bearable.

"Where did you get all this stuff?" I asked, motioning to the bacon and the box of quick mix pancake batter. I was pretty sure we had came without the slighest bit of food, besides the snacks that had been for the long car ride.

"There's a grocery right down the street. I ran over real quick and bought a few things earlier this morning," she explained, tossing the now golden pancake onto a plate and pouring more batter into the pan for another round.

"Mom, it's only six right now! How early did you get up?" I inquired quizzically, wondering not for the first time how she managed to do such extraoridinary things while looking so upbeat.

"Oh, I don't know. I wasn't really tired anyway. How could I be? It's my babies first day of school," she said all mushy like, squeezing my cheek like all the old great aunts do in the movies.

I swatted her hand away playfully, sidestepping out of her reach.

"I'm not in kindergarten, Mom."

"You're right, you're not. My little girl is in high school, now."

"A Sophmore to be exact," I said smartly, smiling cheekily.

"All right wise gal, how about going and getting ready for your big day?"

It took all of my impressive sense of control not to vomit all over my feet at the very sickening thought of starting my Sophmore year about a month into the first semester at an entirely new school where I wouldn't know a single soul.

"I think I'll just wait until I eat fir-" I began to say.

"No! Go get ready, and then when you're done you can eat this most imperial breakfast I have prepared for you, understand?" She insisted, raising an eyebrow at my glowering expression.

"Fine," I grumbled. "In that case I'll be back in about two seconds."

I sulked towards the door, but Mom's voice stopped me in my tracks.

"Max, it's your first day. First day's are all about impressions. You need to look nice," she commanded, her hands on her hips.

_Ooh_, scary.

"Whose definition of nice? Mine . . . or yours?"

She sighed, giving me a look before going on to say, "How about we meet in the middle?"

I nodded in agreement. "What are the terms?"

"You can wear jeans, but they have to be _nice _jeans. No holey, torn to pieces pants. There shouldn't be any rips in them unless they were meant to be there," she replied, setting the base for my outfit requirments.

"I can live with that," I said agreeably. "What about shirts?"

"No oversize, dirty t-shirts. Wear one of those nice name brand ones I always buy for you. I'm sure you can find one that still has a tag that will do just fine for your first day."

She was pushing it . . . but finally, with a heaving sigh, I agreed to that as well.

"As for shoes-" she began to say, but I cut her off.

"Oh, no! There is no way on Heaven or Earth I'm not going to be wearing my converse!" I insisted, crossing my arms across my chest defiantly.

She mulled this over for a moment, finally conceeding with a short, "Fine."

First day . . . here I come.

**- }{ -**

I stared gloomily out of the window, examining the throng of students milling about the front steps. Mom's car sat idled at the curb, and I knew she was waiting for me to pick up my bag and leave . . . but I couldn't bring myself to do it. Not yet at least. I still needed time. I needed to take a few more deep breaths to prepare myself for the onslaught that was sure to come.

"Max, honey . . . It's time to go, or else you're going to be late," Mom said to me softly, putting what was, I assumed, meant to be a comforting hand on my shoulder. The action didn't really register in that way to me.

Ever so slowly I nodded, taking a few more seconds to gather what little bearings I had left.

I turned to face Mom, and I almost cringed at the barely perceptible tears in her eyes. If she cried . . . I don't even know what I would do. All this bottled up emotion I was keeping inside was bound to crash through my own flood gates, and now wouldn't that be quite the spectacle for my first day?

Not.

"Oh . . ." Mom whispered, looking slightly crushed and very worried. "Maybe you were right. Maybe you two weren't ready for this. I know we already dropped Ella off but . . . maybe we all need some more time to settle in."

"Yes!" I exclaimed, smiling for the first time since I climbed into the car that was leading me to my eventual death. "How about we go home right now? It wouldn't be too much trouble at all."

She gave me a small, sad smile.

"No . . . no, you have to do this. It's now or never sweetie. If you don't get it over with now, you'll never do it."

"That sounds like a good plan to me," I muttered crossly under my breath.

She gave a little laugh, smiling good naturedly before going on to ask; "Do you want me to come in with you? Would that make things easier?"

I gave her a look that suggested I thought she was incredibly and irrevocably insane. Yeah, sure. Walking into my first day at a new school with my mommy holding my hand wasn't _total social suicide_. Right.

"I think I'll pass," I replied in disbelief.

She chuckled loudly at my expression, giving my knee a pat.

I tried to think of something, _anything_, I could use to stall. Now I understood a little better why Ari had tried so hard to make conversation just so he could delay going home. I was in the same frantic situation.

Mom knew me too well though, and she could plainly see the gears in my mind shifting.

"There's no time left for talk, Max. It's time to get a move on."

"Bu-" I began.

"What are you so afraid of?" she asked softly.

"_Me_? Afraid? Oh please! I am _not_, under _any _circumstances _afraid_," I insisted heatedly.

"Then what's the problem? . . . What's stopping you from squaring your shoulders like the strong girl I know you are would, and facing the challenge head on? This is just another one of the many obstacles your going to have to face in life. There isn't a doubt in my mind you can't overcome every single one of them, too. You're a fighter, Max. You always have been and you always will be. You have such strength. Sometimes I don't understand where you get it from," Mom said, getting a far away look in her eyes.

"I get it from _you_," I murmured.

That seemed to pull her back down to Earth.

"Oh nonsense. I'm just a vet who can't seem to keep a man!" she replied jokingly.

I shuddered. "Please, let's not get into that!"

She laughed, throwing her head back. When she looked down at me again her chocolate brown eyes that were so similiar to mine were sparkling unlike anything I had ever seen before. After she had studied my face for a few more moments her expression turned solemn.

I sighed. "Let me guess, I _really _have to go now?"

"Everything will be fine, Max, trust me honey. It won't be what you think, I promise."

"Yeah, it could be a whole lot worse," I muttered, slinging my arm through the strap on my book bag.

"_Or _better. You never know . . . just try to keep a positive attitude. Going about things all sullenly won't help at all." No matter how good of advice that may be, I didn't have the heart to commit it to memory. Today was going to be torture no matter how I looked at it.

"I'll see you after school, Mom," I said glumly, my hand hovering over the door handle. I knew then that I was as prepared as I'll ever be.

"Have a good day," Mom said meaningfully.

I rolled my eyes at her before finally pressing down on the handle. The car door creaked open and I swung my leg out, scooting to the edge of the seat. I ducked out before coming to stand at the curb, glancing around instinctively. I slammed the door shut, giving Mom a final wave.

I watched as she switched the car into gear. Carefully she manuvered her way out into the steady steam of cars escelating past the school. My breath hitched in my throat when she turned the corner and disappeared from sight.

This was it.

Slowly I turned, gazing around, trying not to look lost. All around me long time friends rushed to each other, shouting out happy greetings and sharing friendly hugs. I didn't have that. There wasn't a single familiar face in the sea of students.

I was alone.

Here in this city I didn't have any friends. Not unless you counted the sister I grew up with . . . or the nine year old I met just last night. Wow, I sure was doing a good job, wasn't I? I'm sure with all the progress I had made, I would fit in in no time at all!

The sarcasm from that statement was practically oozing.

Slowly I walked forwards, dodging this way and that between the close packed bodies. For the most part the teenagers ignored me. There were some though, that trained me with their sight in interest. A few brave souls even met my eyes for a few seconds, while the other more cowardly people dropped their gazes as soon as I caught them looking.

Finally I managed to cross the front lawn type area the school had going for them. I ascended the steps with quickening speed. Anything to get away from all these prying eyes. The claustrophobia was creeping in, and a cold sweat broke out on my forehead. The air was becoming stuffy, and I knew that if I didn't get away soon, the dizzyness would kick in as well. I didn't exactly want to collapse before the day had even started.

A last, lingering thought infiltrated my mind as I pushed my way through the heavy double doors and into the cool enclosure of the hall.

I hated this place.

**Authors Note: I know the filler-ish chapters are probably getting on your nerves, but she'll be meeting people soon, and it'll pick up. Review?**


	5. Introduction to Hell

**Authors Note: Things SHOULD be picking up from here. Also, with the introduction of this chapter, in recognition of the character I have based off of her, RIP Alison. We miss you! 3/8/10.**

_**Chapter Five**_

**- Introduction to Hell-**

I stood with my back pressed tightly to the wall. Once again the kind (_kind _like your _grandma _kind) looking secretary asked me if I would like to take a seat, but I refused again and again. I was far too wound up to even remotely think of sitting.

On the wall perpendicular to where I was positioned the door banged open. In walked a girl, a little on the short and stout side. Her dark, curly brown hair was pulled up into an unruly ponytail, like she had had trouble coaxing it up to even that. Her baby blue eyes were warm though, and her smile seemed genuine and trustworthy. The door slammed shut with a clatter behind her as she automatically zoned in on my figure, approaching with a grin.

"Hi!" She greeted me brightly, sticking out a hand. I noticed that her nails were painted a light, chipping pearl color. "I'm Alison Edwards, kind of the welcoming party for the school."

I stared blankly at her hand, before returning my gaze to her eyes and giving her a meaningful look. She seemed to get the message, dropping her hand to her side. All the while her wide smile never faltered.

"You're Max, right? Maxine Martinez?" she asked, not seeming to feel awkward about the current situation at all. In fact, she appeared a bit too ill at ease.

"Yeah . . ." I replied slowly, trying my best to measure her character by what little I had seen.

"Well Max, I was instructed to call you that . . ." she said, glancing at me questioningly. I nodded affirmation and she continued on, "I'm going to be your guide to academic life here at RHS. Any questions so far?"

"Yeah, when's lunch?" I replied, not entirely joking.

She laughed, smoothing a stray tendril of hair down as she did.

"We got one with an appetite now, do we? That'll be a refreshing change."

"Let me guess; all the girls are skinny as toothpicks here?" I inquired.

"Yup, you got that right . . . although your verging on thin yourself there," she pointed out.

"You just wait until lunch, and you'll see the large quantities of food I can inhale," I informed her, cracking a smile for the first time since I arrived at this wretched place.

"I'll believe it when I see it," she replied, unsure of the truth to my claim.

A loud, shrill sound emitted from a loudspeaker set just above my head.

"Oopsie daisy, there's the bell! We better get you to homeroom. We'll have to take a rain check on the grand tour," she announced, perky and bubbly as ever. It wasn't the annoying kind though; the one that made me want to gouge my eyes out with needles. No . . . Alison's attitude was, dare I say it, comforting? I shudder at the thought of anything about this school making me feel that way.

I trailed after her as she exited the room, waving goodbye to secretary madly as she went. As we entered the hall all around me there swarmed a mixture of students. I found myself clutching the strap to my bag tighter and tighter, but I kept a brave face. I would play along with their silly little games . . .

For now.

**- }{ - **

The rest of the morning flew by in a blur. Alison showed me to my classes, most of which we shared. Her schedule was eerily similar to mine, and I wondered if that had been done on purpose or not. In fact, the only two periods we didn't have together was when I was meant to go to Biology second hour and English sixth.

For the most part the teachers ignored me, much to my relief. They simply introduced themselves at the beginning of class and directed me to a seat. Not one of them had made me stand in front of the entire class and state my name and other 'interesting' information about myself. Not my previous home, my hobbies, or family matters.

Simple . . . just the way I liked it.

If I thought today was looking up because of this, one glance at the clock had my mood souring. I had only made it through three periods. That meant there was still five more classes to drag myself through.

Ugh.

"Come on, Max!" Alison exclaimed cheerfully, motioning to the door.

I blinked up at her a few times, clearing my mind. I shook my head a bit, realizing that at some point during the math teacher's droning speech on the importance of algorithm's I had zoned out completely, traipsing off into my own little world . . . but really? Could this guy be much more of a bore!?

I scuttled out of my seat, hurrying after Alison's retreating back. It didn't take me long to match stride with her.

"Where are we going next?" I asked half-heartedly, fiddling with a loose sheet of paper in my notebook. I didn't have enough patience to dig through my pile of books to find my schedule, and I didn't care enough to memorize it either.

"Well, we'll go put our stuff away and then we're headed to your favorite place," she replied, smiling broadly.

My eyes widened and for the first time I got excited, a grin threatening to appear on my own face.

"It's time for lunch!?" I squeaked, automatically grimacing at the sound.

"Yup," Alison said, putting a hand to her stomach. "And I gotta say, I'm a bit hungry as well. I woke up late this morning, so I ran out of the house without anything but a granola bar."

Her stomach rumbled as if on cue, which caused her to smile sheepishly, her cheeks tinged red.

"Then let's go!" I cried, hurriedly spinning the combination to my locker in and shoving my books inside without even sparing their placement a glance. I could straighten them out later. For now, I needed some nutrition.

_Food_.

**- }{ -**

"What. Is. _This_?" I asked in disgust, shoving the grayish blob that the cooks were trying to pass off as edible around my plate with a fork. "And why didn't you stop me from getting it?"

"I tried to warn you, but you were in such a hurry that you already had your tray in hand. You were halfway out the door before I even had time to open my mouth!" Alison insisted indignantly.

"Okay . . . but that still doesn't answer my first question," I pointed out, repulsed by the slop.

"Mhm," she replied calculatingly, examining it. "I think you got the surprise special."

"It doesn't look like anything special to me . . . and what's the surprise? Dying of food poisoning?" I wrinkled my nose one last time and pushed the tray away, letting it slide to the other side of the table. No use in even attempting to put that crap anywhere _near _my mouth.

"I'm not real sure on that one," she giggled, taking a bite of her own slightly pink hamburger.

I was starting to think that maybe I was going to have to pack my lunch from here on out.

I sat back in my chair, eyes roaming around the cafeteria. Raucous laughter and loud conversations filled the large room all the way up to it's arching, dome shaped ceiling.

I could easily identify each and every group. The dazed looking stoners who were edging their way towards the back exit, probably planning on smoking another joint behind the school. The academic like scholars with their sweater vests and pleated skirts who were still, despite the noise, totally immersed in their studies. The jocks with their varsity jackets and booming, attention grabbing laughs, forever locked in a competition with each other. Then there was the one table that everyone steered clear of, giving the people seated there some space, like they owned the very ground they stood on.

"Checking out the greater part of the student body?" Alison inquired, breaking into my thoughts.

"Eh, not really. I'm just identifying cliques," I replied truthfully, still staring at that _one _table.

"Oh, well in that case there's only one group you need to be wary of," she informed me seriously, all traces of smiles gone from her face.

"Oh?" I asked, intrigued.

"See right over there, a few tables past all the skaters?"

She was pointing at _the _table.

I nodded furiously.

"They're pretty much the closet thing to royalty at RHS, and I'm telling you now, as a friend, _steer clear of them_," Alison whispered, locking gazes with me while wearing a grim expression.

"Why? Are they the type of popular kids that try to reel the new kid in, or the ones who do everything in their power to humiliate them?"

"That depends . . . does your last name end with the word 'beck'?" she asked skeptically, already knowing the answer.

"Of course not, but what does that have to do with anything?"

"Well, in truth, they're all too high and mighty -at least they _think _they are- to even spare you a glance, so you're pretty much safe as long as you don't draw attention to yourself. As for the last name thing, it's quite simple. See the guy, the gorgeous one?" Alison began to explain.

I raised an eyebrow, giving her a look.

"You're going to have to be a bit more specific," I said reproachfully.

"Right, right," she said, giving a shaky laugh before continuing. "I meant the one with the blonde hair that's on the cropped side, with the hazel eyes."

My sight honed in on a guy, possibly senior quality, with a long frame and quite a sufficient amount of muscle beneath the tight white t-shirt he was wearing. One stray lock of hair had fallen across his face, brushing against his forehead lightly. As I examined him something someone said made him laugh, and he threw his head back, flashing ultra white, perfectly straight teeth. One of his arms was slung across the back of an unoccupied chair, and he was tipping back in his own seat, his mile long legs stretched out before him. He had to be verging on six foot.

"That's Corbin Greybeck, senior hottie and totally delicious. Too bad he's virtually off limits to every girl that's not a high fashion model . . . which pretty much means everyone but Savanah," Alison informed me, gazing dreamily at him.

"Savanah?" I inquired, trying to snap her out of her fantasies.

"Yeah, Savanah Maybeck. She's the gorgeous one sitting beside him," she replied venomously, her eyes narrowing.

I shifted my gaze to the right. A petite brunette sat there, one arm resting on Corbin's shoulder. Her hair fell in perfectly styled waves, disappearing at table level, crawling down her back. Her eyes were a sparkling emerald color. One bare leg could be seen sticking out from under her chair, her foot placed in strappy, designer sandals. I didn't even want to imagine what kind of mini-skirt she had on, because I could see all the way up to her thigh and it was _all _bare skin so far. She looked amazing in a 'bye Mom, bye Dad; I'm off to the whore-house for the day' sort of way.

"Then the other two sitting there, the ones that are obviously twins, is Mason and Mallory Hollenbeck," she finished.

I was really starting to get the 'beck' comment as I identified the last two. They sat side by side, mirror images of each other . . . well, more like a masculine and feminine version of the same person. They both had light, straight red hair and dark blue eyes.

"Those two love each other so much, it's practically incest," Alison proclaimed.

"You mean they're together!?" I exclaimed, disgusted.

"What? Of course not! I just meant that they're really close. Inseparable, some would say. Mallory actually has a boyfriend," Alison hurried to say.

I blew out a sigh of relief. The last thing I needed was the weight of _that _hanging on my shoulders every day. It shouldn't actually surprise me though. I mean, this school was obviously a lot stranger than I had anticipated. Though the whole 'love to hate' popular clique wasn't exactly a foreign concept to me. You see it in books and movies all the time, right?

"Wait a minute," I said as a thought struck me. "You said Mallory has a boyfriend?"

"Yeah, she does. I know this for a fact, Max. Don't doubt my gossip. The stuff you hear from me is legit," she insisted, as if offended that I would disagree with her statement. "Besides, they don't exactly hide it."

I didn't miss the way she shuddered.

"Who is it then?" I questioned.

"Ca- Oh! There he is right now, late as usual. I swear that kid doesn't know the meaning of an alarm clock. Some days he shows up on time, others he doesn't grace us with his presence until fourth period or later," Alison said scoldingly.

I turned slowly, my eyes searching the crowd for a new face. I caught sight of him as he walked with a graceful, purposeful gait. My breath caught in my throat and I almost choked on my next words.

"_Who is that_?"

**Authors Note: Ooh, slightly cliffhanger-ish! REVIEW if you want the next chapter!**


	6. Spawn of Satan

**Authors Note: Okay, so this is actually kind of a quick update, is it not? YAY!**

_**Chapter Six**_

**- Spawn of Satan -**

"Cam Ravenbeck."

_Cam Ravenbeck . . . Cam Ravenbeck . . . Cam Ravenbeck._

His name rebounded around my skull, multiplying by the hundreds until all I could hear was this defeaning roar of _him_. Tall, gorgeous and . . . _taken_, I reminded myself. I wasn't the type of girl that went after guys with girlfriends . . . especially one's who looked like that . . .

Beautiful.

From his jet black hair that lay just above his shoulders, curled around his face and hanging loosely in his eyes all the way down his long, lean body to his black boots. In fact, just about everythig about him was black. His hair, all his clothes, and even his eyes from my view point.

Breathtaking.

His face was finely sculpted, and his lips- don't even get me started on his lips. His skin was a medium olive tone, and even through his scuffed leather jacket I could see the muscles of his arms coiled together. He was tall, too. Had to be at least six foot, if not more. If I thought Corbin was booming in that department . . . boy was I wrong.

Jerk.

In the same walk I had noticed before, there could now be determined a blooming ego. He thought a lot of himself, that was for sure. How else could he have such a confident, attention grabbing strut? I knew then that it was going to be hard to balance out my feelings for him, if after only seeing him _once_, I could actually say I had attracted 'feelings' . . .

Guarded.

I could see it in the way he walked- cool, confident . . . but closed off. I could especially see it in his eyes. They were two midnight pools of blank emotion, showing nothing. It seemed effortless to him, like he had been doing it his whole life. Something was off about it though. I couldn't quite put my finger on it . . . but one thing was clear.

Cam Ravenbeck was a puzzle.

What was yet to be determined?

If that puzzle was worth solving.

"Max? You-who, Earth to Max!" Alison shouted, waving her hand in front of my face while tugging on my shirt sleeve to get my attention.

I snapped out of whatever state I had been in as soon as I glanced away from Cam.

"I'm sorry . . . what were you saying?" I asked, turning my full attention onto Alison. I all but shook my head to get rid of those thoughts of Cam. I tried my best to push him out of my mind altogether, but he kept creeping back in on me, like a shadowy figure at the back of my head.

"Well, I was telling you that even though everyone obviously hates them-" she began heatedly.

"They can't help but love them at the same time," I finished grimly, nodding my head in agreement. "It's the same old story, just told in a different setting."

"Exactly! Finally, someone who understands my vision about the whole 'popularity' persona."

We were launched into silence then, me staring off into space and her picking half heartedly at her food. I watched as bit by bit she tore her hamburger to tiny pieces, arranging them on her tray in no particular order.

"I thought you were starving?" I spoke up, eyeing her makeshift tower of beef.

"I was . . . but just look at them!" she cried, indicating the 'becks', "With their fancy schmancy spring water . . . and toned abs . . . and flat asses. It makes me sick!"

"Don't be jealous of them. They're probably starving themselves to stay thin. I, quite frankly, don't see the point. They're going to look like whores anyway, so what's the big deal?"

Alison guffawed, letting out a very un-lady like snort. Her hand flew to her mouth and her eyes widened anxiously, which had me laughing along with her. Pretty soon she was laughing even harder than before, the temptation was just too much.

"Ah . . . I could get used to having you around, Max," Alison said truthfully, smiling in content.

"Mhm," I replied, resting my head in my hands.

"Maybe if the spawn of Satan didn't go to this school, it would actually be kind of perfect," she said bitterly.

"To tell the truth, I feel kind of under-dressed. I mean, look at them," I announced, indicating Savanah and Mallory.

Alison stared at me incredulously.

"It's just that, I don't think I quite live up to their slut etiquite," I continued innocently.

"You're one heluva chick, you know that right?" Alison said after a few moments.

"I like to think so," I replied sarcastically.

All around us the bell gonged, signaling the end of fourth period. I stood up instantly, smiling as Alison chuckled at my joke. Maybe having her around would make things in New York ten times easier . . . until I remembered my 'not getting attached to anything or anyone' rule.

That was two people now . . . _two _people I would no doubt miss or disapoint when I left.

Great.

**- }{ -**

I ended up walking into fifth period History on my own, having assured Alison that I could manage walking a few doors down from my locker while she went to get her own books on the other end of the hall.

Seeing what I was seeing now, I suddenly wished I hadn't acted so rashly. Maybe having Alison here would have stopped me from what I was about to do. I mean, there had to be someone around at _all times _to save me from myself. Hadn't that crucial bit of information been added to my student file!?

The teacher wasn't present at the moment, and Cam and Mallory were making the most of it. They were practically groping each other as Cam sat on one of the chairs in the middle of the room, Mallory straddling his lap grotesquly. I was pretty sure they were eating each others faces off too, just for the record. They kept making these wet, nasty sucking noises that made me want to hurl right then and there. I kept my head high though, and forced myself to walk straight by.

It didn't exactly work that way.

As soon as I passed my foot shot out, without my subconscious permssion I might add, and collided with the leg of the chair. It shook and tipped to one side, spilling Mallory onto the floor roughly. Cam managed to stay seated, throwing his arm out and balancing himself on a desk.

"Let's keep it PG children," I spat acidly over my shoulder, making my way to the cluster of empty seats in the back row.

Mallory made a huffing sound and I heard her heels clatter against the tile as she stumbled to her feet. There was a moments pause in which I imagined her smoothing over her clothes and situating her atrociously red hair into a neat ensemble before her expression turned heated once more.

"_Who are you_?" she demanded scornfully.

I turned slowly, admittedly for dramatic effect, and raised an eyebrow at her. She was standing with her hands on her hips, glowering ferociously at me. A bit of her hair stuck up on the top of her head, and there was lipgloss smeared across her face.

_Ooh_, scary.

"Well?" she asked impatiently, tapping her foot.

That was the final straw. Let's see how high and mighty she felt when I gave her one heluva reality check. Someone needed to be put back into her place, and I was just the person for the job.

I walked forwards until I was only a few centimeters away. I towered over her, glaring down my nose coldly. I didn't miss the way she shrunk back just the most infinite of bits.

"I'm 'give me your prissy little attitude and I won't hesitate to knock you off your pretty pedastol'. You got that?" I snarled.

"Do you- do you know who I am!?" she shrieked, fixing me with an icy stare.

"Yes, actually I do, Little Miss Popularity."

"I will make your life a living hell!" she hissed, and I knew she meant it. Unfortunately, at this point, I wasn't even afraid of social suicide.

That was why I didn't think twice about getting right up into her face and growling, "Good luck with that, because I'm already there."

Just then Alison appeared in the doorway. It took her about two point five seconds to assess the situation, and even less time to realize I was getting myself in pretty darn deep. She flat out ran to my side, snatching my arm up with a surprisingly strong girp and dragging me backwards, hissing in my ear the entire ime.

"Are you crazy!? You could have gotten killed! I wouldn't put it past her. She'd try to gouge out your eyeballs with her Jimmy Choo heels! And what happened to laying low and staying unnoticed!? You do realize you just caused a scene, don't you? A _scene _. . . and with one of the Becks. Oh God, I think I'm going to faint!"

"Jeez, relax won't you?" I insisted.

"How can I relax at a time like this!? Oh boy, this is going to spread through this school faster than a wildfire. The stories are going to be completely outrageous. I can imagine the tales of hair pulling and clothes being ripped off. People are going to insist they heard it had been an all out fist-fight, and you know who they're going to come to for the truth? _Me_, that's who! Ugh, this is never going to end! You've made RHS history, Max!"

"And isn't making history good?"

"Not all the time! Hitler made history didn't he? Is he famous for doing something good? No! He's known as a dictator, one who persecuted and personally saw to the slaughtering of millions of people. Not cool, okay?"

"Are you comparing what I did to _Hitler_?" I inquired incredulously.

"Oh would you stop that! I'm just trying to make a point!" she exclaimed, looking highly stressed out. I expected her to start ripping her hair out at any minute. The chick was completely unstable.

"And that would be . . .?" I mused.

"That what you did was bad! Very, very bad," she insisted hysterically, gripping me by the shoulders harshly.

I felt kind of bad then. Alison was literally having a nervous breakdown right before my eyes, and it was all my fault.

"Alright, alright I'm sorry! I'll keep my lips shut from now on," I promised.

"Do you think that's going to matter!?" she cried shrilly. "You've already commited the deed. Unless you know of a way to travel back in time, there's no undoing this!"

"So what am I supposed to do!?" I exclaimed, throwing my hands in the air.

"Try to stay alive," she muttered as the door banged open.

The class grew extremely quiet and everyone found a seat quickly.

Class had officially begun.

**- }{ -**

After History I loitered in the back of the room with Alison until Cam and Mallory left, hand in hand. This had acid boiling in my stomach, for reasons unknown to me.

Why should I care?

"I really am sorry," I said softly as we parted ways in the hall. I was going to try making my way to English myself, even though Alison really didn't want to let me out of her sight. I think it had something to do with me starting another episode of The Young and the Restless. Those being her words, not mine.

"It's okay Max, really. I just had a momentary freak out. It's not that big of a deal . . . It's just never happend before. I'm not sure how things will unfold . . . so watch your back. Mason might come after you, wielding a knife."

I had a feeling she wasn't entirely joking.

"I'll see you in Art then?" I inquired. Stupid mandatory electives. I wasn't much of an artist, but then again, any form of music class was even more extremely off limits to someone like me. I was musically impaired.

"Yeah. I'll paint one last picture of you, before someone locates your cold, lifeless body in some dark alley," she replied, smiling so that I knew she was just kidding.

"Gee, thanks for putting that most wonderful of images in my mind. I think I'll steer clear of the dark alley's from now on."

"I think that would be a wise choice."

I laughed, waving goodbye. I watched after her as she disappeared down the hall, around the corner, and out of sight. I hadn't even known her for twenty four hours, not even close in fact, and yet I already felt like she was a close friend. We seemed to be on the same wavelength, which was weird for me, because usually nobody understood my views.

Having such a relatable friend was nice . . . but at the same time, I had always preferred flying solo. Maybe it hadn't been that way before the accident . . . but afterwards, I just kept to myself. No use in making friends just to forget them.

With a sigh I picked up my books for English and trudged towards the steps. Just like every class before it, with the exception of fifth period History, it would no doubt be as boring as the rest.

Yay.

I entered the room, noting that I was, as usual, one of the last ones there. There was a bunch of random kids I didn't know, two giggling girls I think I had Spanish with, a professor like guy I recognized from lunch and then there was the only seat left open by . . . Holy shit!

_Cam Ravenbeck_

Well doesn't my luck totally _suck_.

**Authors Note: That was unitentional rhyme there at the end. Anyway, REVIEW! They make me UBER happy! Tell me what you thought of Cam?**


	7. The Accident

**Authors Note: I'd just like to say Kina Kalamari is NOT a loony, and she does in fact know why I chose the name Cam. She's probably the only one too. Feel special ;)**

_**Chapter Seven**_

**- The Accident -**

_Crap, crap, crap, crap, crap! _

Cam seemed to sense my gaze, because he looked up suddenly, ours eyes meeting for the briefest second. His dark eyes flashed some unidentifiable emotion. Then he quickly turned away, returning his attention to the notebook he was doodling in. I felt the need to peek over his shoulder.

Double crap.

"Hi, you must be Max," someone said from over my shoulder.

I turned curiously, trying not to look totally freaked out by what had just happened . . . because when I looked in Cam's eyes . . . something in my mind had flickered, like a vague memory. It would have been the first time since the accident that I had almost learned something about my past, but it had slipped right through my fingers . . . which sucked.

Majorly.

"Um . . . yeah, that's me," I said lamely, trying to sort out my jumbled thoughts.

"I'm Mrs. Mullins, and I'll be your insight to all things English for the remainder of the year," she introduced herself with a bright smile. Her brown eyes held the warmth I sometimes saw in my own mother's eyes, with that same slight twinkle at the edges.

I knew immediately that I trusted her . . . which was strange, considering I was very, very, _very _precautionary- like try to get me to shake hands with the president and I'd be extremely wary to do so. I swear if one of those secret service agents came at me with a sniper I'd flip out. Which was why, if the event ever presented itself, I would probably stare at the mans hand until he dropped it in bewilderment.

"I'm Max," I said dumbly, and then flushed slightly in embarrassment. "Oh, yeah, but we already covered that, didn't we?"

I figured she would stare at me strangely, like she thought I was of the mentally challenged variety- but instead she laughed . . . seriously _laughed_, putting a hand on my shoulder and leading me forwards as she went.

"Well, I'd like to personally welcome you to Rixon High School," she said as she wove her way through the aisles of desks arranged in topsy turvy rows, "and you can go on ahead and take a seat right here."

I gulped in dread as she gestured to the empty chair pushed a bit too close for my own comfort to Cam's. To make matters worse as soon as Mrs. Mullins turned her head he glared at me with an icy sneer that made my blood run cold.

"Cam?" Mrs. Mullins asked once she had settled the class a bit.

He looked up at her wordlessly, his face carefully blank.

"Would you mind too much answering any questions Max has about how things work here in class, that way I won't have to keep going back and forth?" I could tell by the stern look on her face that it was more of an order than a request.

"Sure," he agreed.

I found that I quite loved the sound of his voice.

Wait, _what_!?

"Go on and have a seat Max. I have to take attendance, and then we'll get things rolling," Mrs. Mullins said kindly, seemingly oblivious to the inner turmoil I was fighting through. My mind had become a battle field for the two opposing strengths of my will power . . . _and _sanity, for that matter.

I slid by books onto the smooth surface of the desk, slumping down into my seat and trying to ignore how close Cam and I were sitting. If I just moved my elbow a bit it would brush with his. I wonder what if would feel like to touch him . . . I wonder what he would do if I just reached over and-

Okay, that's it! I was officially going insane.

I shuddered, and I didn't miss the way Cam turned his head a bit to watch me out of the corner of his eye. He would probably agree- about my insanity assumption, I mean.

"Listen up everybody!" Mrs. Mullins called, clapping her hands together to get everyone's attention.

"Good afternoon, Mrs. Mullins," a guy from the back called in mock enthusiasm. I looked over my shoulder to see a jock type surrounded by his sniggering friends. They had all proudly donned their varsity jackets.

Typical.

"Can it Sanchez! Don't forget that you're almost certainly going to fail this class if you don't start getting your grades up, and soon. I'm fairly sure that once your coach gets ahold of your transcript you'll be benched the rest of the season," she threatened, smiling slightly.

If that didn't wipe the smirk of his face, I don't know what would.

"Okay, we'll start with something simple. _Writing_!"

A loud cacophony of groans echoed through the classroom, making Mrs. Mullins chuckled to herself. There was a flurry of actvity as people shifted through their papers. Pencils clattered across the floor here and there as well. I followed suit, ripping out a sheet of paper and sorting through all my stuff to find a pencil that would create legible writing, which was a miracle in itself.

"The topic for today is . . ." she paused for a moment as she began writing in chalk on the bored in all capital letters; "Your favorite childhood memory."

More complaints ensued.

"Cam, just free write today," Mrs. Mullins said, and my curiosity sparked. Why would he of all people get special treatment? I thought Mrs. Mullins, from what I had seen so far, had enough sense to see right through his superiority complex.

Then the lesson finally set in and I mentally smacked myself.

Hesitantly I raised my hand.

"Yes, Max?" Mrs. Mullins asked.

"Um . . . I don't think I can do that," I said truthfully, trying not to look embarrassed . . . and probably failing miserably.

"Do what?" she inquired in confusion.

"The assignment."

Her gaze turned stern and she said, "Now I'm sure your perfectly capable of writing a simple one page journal entry ab-"

"It's called amnesia, Mrs. Mullins," I said quietly, wincing at the memory of the accident.

"Oh," she gasped, her eyes widening. "I had no idea!"

I didn't blame her. I rarely talked about it. It wasn't exactly something I could slip into a conversation. You know, 'oh yeah, by the way, two years ago I was in this horrible car accident that knocked my cranium up pretty good. I can't remember a thing from my past before the day I woke up in the hospital.'

Real smooth.

"So you don't remember anything?" she questioned cautiously.

"Not a thing," I replied.

Apparently, my case was pretty weird. When I woke up my brain levels were fully functioning. I could ride a bike, I could swim and do anything else a fourteen year old could do. I could do simple math computations and I was a pretty sufficient reader. Maybe a little below the average of most kids my age, but all the same I was perfectly capable. Except whenever I tried to remember any certain events directly related to my past, there was this vast black hole- almost as if my memory had been wiped clean and whoever had done it had only left me with common knowledge, but stole everything personal.

"Then I suppose you and Cam here have a lot more in common than previously thought," Mrs. Mullins said.

Huh . . . that was . . . interesting.

"So . . . what should I do then?" I asked, not really wanting to think about the accident anymore. Too many painful thoughts, the worst of which had yet to resurface.

"You can free write as well," she replied before bending her head over an intimidating stack of papers.

And so I did.

**- }{ -**

"Ah sweet freedom, how I love thee," I cried, throwing my hands up in the air and taking a long, deep breath as soon as I had pushed my way through the school doors . . . and then I got a whiff of car exhaust fumes intermingled with sewage water, and covered my nose with my hand, choking because of the vile stench.

Alison glanced at me curiously a moment before saying with a shrug, "You'll get used to it, to the point where it's favorable to sitting in stuffy classroms all day."

"Have you reached that point yet?"

"Honey, I passed it a _long _time ago."

"There's the new girl, the one that punched Mallory Hollenbeck right in the nose," I heard a student whisper as he and his friend brushed past us, on their way to the long line of parents idling out in front of the school.

I stiffened and Alison made a panicked face. Immediately I turned on my heel, Alison grabbing at my arm to stop me, but I pushed her hands away in annoyance. With a few measured breaths I snatched up a fistful of the boys shirt and wrenched him back towards me, his friend watching with wide eyes.

Stupid Freshman.

"And I'm going to punch you in the nose,_ for real_, if you don't stop sharing every bit of gossip that you hear," I snarled into his ear, showing him my already clenched fist.

He stuttered incoherently for a full minute before his friend finally jumped in, saying; "S-so it's not true? You didn't actually punch Mallory?"

"Of course not!" I spat viciously, roughly shoving the anxious boy out of my reach and into the other. "I only wish I had," I tacked on as an afterthought.

The two shared a look before smiling broadly at me. My eyes narrowed involuntarily, suspicious of their little exchange. They didn't try to explain, only turned and ran towards a whole pack of boys, shouting, "Guys! Check this out, new girl's got guts!"

"She's hott too!" the boy I practically had in a choke hold called out surprisingly.

I took a step forward, already prepared to lunge at the unsuspecting kid when Alison latched herself onto my arm, tugging against me with all her weight. I growled at her to let me go, but she kept a firm grip, yelling at me to quit the entire time.

"Max! _MAX_!"

"What!?" I exclaimed, finally rounding around to face her.

"I think that was a compliment," she insisted.

"Yeah, well it was a sexist one," I muttered before straightening my book bag.

"Max, let's face it, you're not a Beck; meaning your not a total slut . . . but you _are _really pretty. Guys are going to be falling all over you, especially when they hear that you got into a fight with Mallory Hollenbeck and won. She's the Queen of Mean, and once Savanah graduates this year, she's _going _to take over the school, there's no doubt."

"Look, the last thing I want to do is talk about Ginger Supreme," I said scathingly, glaring a hole into the street sign I was facing.

"Ginger Supreme?" Alison guffawed. "That sounds like a stripper name."

"And your point is . . .?" I mused.

"Touche."

"Alright . . . well I think I see my mom over there. I should get going. I don't know if she's picked up my sister yet or not," I explained, motioning to where Mom's familiar car sat, idling at the curb.

"Oh, okay. I'll walk over with you. I'd like to meet your mom, if you don't mind," she said a bit sheepishly, staring at her shoes.

"Sure," I said with a shrug, weaving my way through the crowd with Alison at my heels, practically spilling over with excitement.

"Hi sweetie, how was your first day?" Mom asked with a bright smile when I was standing at the side of the car.

"It was fine . . . a bit torturous, a bit boring," I replied indifferently.

"A bit dramatic," Alison muttered under her breath. I thought maybe Mom heard her, because she turned her focus on Alison then as if she had noticed her for the first time.

"And who might this be?" Mom asked politely.

"Mom, this is my friend Alison. Alison this is my mom, Valencia Martinez," I introduced the two of them.

"It's really nice to meet you Mrs. Martinez," Alison gushed sincerely.

"Oh nonsense, call me Val," Mom insisted before going on to say, "Would you like a ride home?"

"Um . . ." Alison murmured, blushing a bit. "I suppose so, if you don't mind."

"Heavens no! Climb on in. We just have to make a quick stop to pick up Ella, and then you'll have to give me _very _detailed directions as to where you live."

Alison laughed. "Not too familiar with the streets yet, Mrs. Martine- I mean Val?"

"Not at all," Mom said with a shake of her head.

I slipped into the front seat as Alison fastened herself into the seatbelt in the back. As we began pulling out into the street I took an impulsive glance into the rearview mirror, having the strangest feeling that I was being watched. My eyes quickly filtered through the crowd, landing on one lone figure, leaning casually against the wall, staring straight at me.

Cam.

Our gazes locked, and I stared straight back into those fathomless dark eyes, neither of us breaking contact until I rounded the corner and he disappeared from sight.

**Authors Note: Also, since a couple people seemed confused, the Becks are NOT the flock, except for Fang. If you don't remember, check the first chapter again. I told you the ages of the flock there. Well, REVIEW PLEASE! **


	8. Chat Central

**Authors Note: Ugh . . . so . . tired. Stupid volleyball tournament! I decided I was going to update anyway though. Also, to clear up any confusion; Cam IS Fang.**

_**Chapter Eight**_

**- Chat Central -**

There was an insistent ringing in my ears, and my eyes got clouded over as soon as my gaze slipped away from his. My mind was abuzz with a confusing jumble of thoughts, images I didn't recognize trickled into my head, and there was a tickling at the back of my mind. I felt like I was missing something, something _huge_, in this whole picture. It was like my mind was trying to tell me something, but there were walls that blocked its entrance.

Never before had I had these feelings. Never before had I gotten this close to having some memory of my life, before the accident, brought in front of me.

There was something going on, that much was obvious.

Something weird.

A sudden thought struck me, and I came to the realization that maybe Cam was some sort of key to unlock my past. I mean, it couldn't be just purely coincidental that as soon as I look into those midnight eyes my brain goes into overdrive, and strange thoughts try to push their way into my mind.

_Impossible._

I was going insane! All I was was a crazed, hormone driven teenager. I was taking my dramatic past and trying to find a way to tie it with my immediate and slightly scary attraction to Cam.

This _had _to stop.

Through my in depth musing, I had totally tuned out to the rest of the world. I didn't even hear my mother calling my name over and over again. It wasn't until Alison reached over and tugged on my shoulder that I snapped back into reality.

"Huh!?" I gasped, startled.

"Does she do that a lot?" Alison inquired, looking greatly amused.

"All the time," Mom replied with an eye roll.

"Do what a lot?" I demanded, my eyes flipping back and forth between them.

"Oh, you know, disappear off into your own little world. I noticed it happened a lot today, and I was just wondering if it was a new feat, or if it was something that went all the way back to your time in Arizona," Alison explained.

I cringed slighly at the mention of home, but neither Alison nor my mom seemed to notice. They both remained blissfully oblivious.

"Ugh! Can this traffic go any slower!?" Mom exclaimed.

It was true. We were barely moving at a crawl, and to make matters worse Ella's school was just up ahead, yet it didn't seem like we would make it there any time soon.

"Maybe you two should get out and walk up there, so Ella knows I'm coming," Mom suggested worriedly, eyeing the distance calculatingly.

"I'd love to!" Alison said brightly, already half way out of her seatbelt, almost like she had anticipated Mom's request before it had even been spoken.

"Sure, whatever," I replied with a shrug.

**- }{ -**

I gave the crowd of middle schoolers another once over, scanning the many faces for the familiar smiling features of my little sister. Yet still she didn't appear, and with a frustrated sigh I raked my hand through my hair once again and shoved my way even deeper into the crowd. Alison straggled uselessly behind me, not being of much help considering she had no idea what Ella looked like.

"I'm tempted to start calling out her name, but then she'd be embarrassed, which would probably lead to her murdering me," I muttered, circling around the small plot of land outside the school once more.

"Yeah, if Mallory doesn't do it first," Alison murmured under her breath. I guess she still hadn't quite grasped the whole 'I hear things way better than normal people do' thing.

"Let's just please not get into that again!" I insisted, giving her a quick glare over my shoulder before I resumed my ferverant search.

I peered over the top of the students heads, still looking for Ella, when I saw a familiar shade of brunette bobbing excitedly towards me.

"Ella!" I called out, waving my hand to make sure she saw me.

"Max!" she shouted in elation, running over to my side. I watched curiously as she tugged a girl along behind her.

She was pretty tall for her age, with a wild mane of brown curls and a really pretty shade of mocha colored skin. She gave me a toothy grin as the two approached, her eyes wide and attentive.

"Max, this is my new friend Monique Carson. Mo, this is my older sister Max," Ella introduced, grinning madly.

I was about to open my mouth to say 'hi' or something, but Monique beat me to it.

"Hey! ZOMG, it is like so nice to finally meet you! I mean, I know I've only known Ella for like a day, but it feels like we've known each other for a million years, and she's told me all about you. Now I really freaking wish I had an older sister, because you seem soo cool, and stuff. I think it would be fabulous! If I had a sister we would go shopping all the time, and we'd get manicures together and all. We would have just the most amazing time ever! Although maybe I'd want a little sister too, that way she could look up to me and stuff. I don't have any siblings, but now I really want some! Gee Ella, you are so, so, so lucky to have a-"

Oh my gosh! It was like I had been launched into chat central. The kid never shut up! Finally though, Ella had intervened with an apologetic smile directed towards Alison and I.

"So where's Mom?" Ella asked, cutting of Monique's rambling.

"She should be coming. There's a heck of a lot of traffic at this time of day," I explained, eyeing Monique warily.

"Oh, well in that case, get this! Mo used to live in L.A.! Isn't that amazing!?" Ella exclaimed.

"Really? When did you move here?" I asked curiously.

"Around two years ago. I miss sunny California and all, but New York is one of my favorite places on this entire earth! That and Paris, France. I want to go there some day so badly. I mean, I hear about it, and I feel like I've already been there, ya' know? It's like de javu, except more real, I guess. Does that even make any sense? Oh well, it-"

"That's really cool," Alison cut her off, smiling innocently.

"Oh!" Ella exclaimed in surprise. "I'm sorry, I feel kind of rude now. Who's this, Max?"

"Huh? Oh, that's Alison. She's a friend from school," I replied nonchalantly.

"See, Max! What did I tell you? You went on and on about how horrible going to school would be and you already have a friend. I bet you're going to be uber popular, am I right?"

"Uhm . . . Not exactly," I muttered, rubbing my neck and ducking my head in embarrassment.

"Oh no," Ella groaned, slapping a palm to her forehead. "What did you do this time Max?"

"I didn't _do _anything!" I claimed hotly.

"She got in a fight with one of the girls from the popular crowd," Alison explained, giving me a tired eye roll.

"What!? Max, why would you do that!? And on your first day too," Ella yelped, looking stricken.

"That is _not _how it happened! I-" I began, but Ella cut me off.

"How bad is she hurt?"

"_See_!" I cried triumphantly (and just a tad bit manically), rounding to face Alison. "That stupid prostitute wouldn't be able to lay a hand on me. Haven't I been telling you that again and again!? Ella here understands that."

"Max, seriously, this is important! Did you punch her? Kick her? Was their any hair pulling involved?" Ella demanded my full attention.

I stared at her incredulously, stating in a matter of fact tone; "I do _not_, under any circumstances, _pull hair_. What's next? _Clawing_? I don't think so!"

"Oh God, this is horrible. Why couldn't you have just tried to stay calm!?"

"Ella, jeez, would you relax?" I cried in frustration.

"How can I relax when your social status is going down the drain, thereby severely impairing mine!?" She exclaimed dramatically, looking faint.

"Listen to me! I did _not _get in a fight. There was no punching, kicking, _or _hair pulling. I simply told her the truth. She was the one that started it really. I didn't touch a hair on her pretty little head, trust me."

Ella glanced over to Alison, who nodded her head eagerly in confirmation.

"All right . . . but we're going to have a serious conversation abou-" Ella began heatedly when I spotted Mom pulling up to the school.

"Oh look! There's Mom! We can talk about this later," I said hurriedly, walking off at a brisk pace before anyone could argue.

Behind me Ella gave an exaggerated sigh, and I could just imagine her rolling her eyes as Alison gave her a sympathetic look. Surprisingly, throughout that entire conversation Monique hadn't said a word. She did now though, and I could hear her motormouth take off as she chatted animatedly to Ella.

It had been a long day.

**- }{ -**

I sighed in relief as I dropped my school bag to the floor and fell onto my bed. I curled up into a ball and closed my eyes, taking a few deep breaths, as if that would help calm my harried mind down.

It turned out that Alison actually lived in the apartment building right beside our house, which was convenient in many, _many _ways. For instance, she was only a short distance away when I needed help with the complicated Math homework we would eventually be assigned. I wasn't an academic genius, that had been made perfectly clear from the very beginning. Math just so happened to be my worst subject, though that may have something to do with my abhorrence towards the whole concept and not my over all work ethic and intelligence capability.

But ever since I had said good-bye to Alison at the door, my head hadn't given me a moment of peace. My whole mind was buzzing, makig it impossble for me to concentrate on watching TV or anything like that. I had even tried reading, but to no avail. And any hope of sleeping had been diminished in a short amount of time, as proven at this exact moment.

What I really needed was something that would preoccupy my thinking. Something that would take me away from my own problems, which were escelating in size of the late, thanks to this idiotic move. But who did I know that had a suckier life than I did at the present moment?

Ari.

Of course! What better way to spend my time, than with an orphan that adored me for my friendship? In fact, I bet it would be something Mom would be proud of me for doing. Maxine Martinez; total bad ass and resident buzz killer . . . volunteering at an orphanage for those innocent, under-priveleged kids. I would be a revered hero!

Yeah, and then maybe Mom will see the error of her ways and move us all back to Arizona, where we belong- instead of here in over-crowded, over-populated, over-everything that's not Arizona, New York.

Right.

The chances of that happening weren't even as good as slim. It was pretty much none to none. _Impossible_. Not gonna happen. _Ever_. Not as long as she lives. _Never_.

I really needed to keep myself busy, for fear of my mind imploding, because this was all just becoming a bit too much; which was exactly why I needed to go and hang out with Ari _now_. The only problem?

I had no freaking idea where he lived.

What was I supposed to do then? Walk in the general direction he had disappeared towards, looking for a sign that pronounced 'Orphans Live Here'? Something was telling me that that wasn't going to work.

It seemed that God had actually been watching out for me that day, because no sooner had the thought escaped the vaulted recesses of my mind, when there was a knock at the door.

At first I ignored it, thinking it was just someone here to welcome us to the neighborhood or something like that, when I heard my name being called from the bottom of the steps.

Slowly I got to my feet, trailing towards the door. I stood at the landing at the top of the steps, peering curiously down. Mom was waving someone inside the door, saying "She'll be right down."

I began descending the staircase as the figure stepped out of the glare from the sunlight and into the foyer. When I got a glimpse of the windswept blonde hair and pretty blue eyes I couldn't help the smile that spread across my face.

"Hey Ari," I greeted him casually, finally coming to a halt at the bottom of the steps. I rested my elbow on the rail, trying not to make it obvious that I was examining his appearance.

This time around his shirt was perfectly clean, and his jeans, though a little on the weathered side, weren't torn to pieces. His face had been washed as well, and his eyes seemed even more piercing because of it.

"Hiya Max! I was wondering if maybe you'd come out to play?"

**Authors Note: And Nudge is introduced! YAY! Haha, anyway, I'd really appreciate it if you reviewed! You guys are doing really great with that!**


	9. Too Cool

**Authors Note: I'm getting reviews so fast, I'm able to update rather quickly. It's exciting!**

_**Chapter Nine**_

**- Too Cool -**

The building before me was slightly run-down and dreary looking; made of weathered brick. Each window was carefully blank, shrouded by a dismal looking cream colored curtain that prevented a person from peeping inside, which might have been the point now that I think about it. There was nothing but a dying potted plant on the uneven stone landing that suggested any semblance of personal value, and even that was incredibly pitiful.

"This is where you live?" I asked Ari slowly, taking in the penitentiary like building. It seemed like more of a place for juvenile delinquints than it was for orphans who had no place else to go.

"Yup," Ari replied un-enthusiastically, glaring down at his hands while he scuffed his shoe across the cracked and crumbling pavement again and again.

"It's . . . um . . . nice," I commented, trying (and failing) to be polite.

"Yeah, right. Because it couldn't have been any more obvious that you're lying," Ari said acidly, giving me a reproachful look.

"Okay . . . so maybe 'nice' was going a little bit overboard. It does look . . . homey . . . though," I stuttered, giving him what I'm sure was an extremely unconvincing smile.

He shrugged carelessly. "I know it's a dump. You don't have to try and make me feel better about it."

I stared peculiarly at him then, studying his features. I had never really noticed before, but in a lot of ways he acted like someone mature far beyond their years. It just seemed like it by the way he talked sometimes; like now for instance. Would you ever imagine a nine year old boy saying something so . . . meaningful? Maybe it was just an orphan thing. Maybe he had reached a time in his life where he had to learn how to grow up fast. How should I know? I barely knew the kid.

"What'ya staring at me like that for?" he demanded, suddenly morphing into the nine year old he appeared to be.

"I'm trying to figure you out," I answered automatically, not even hesitating to worry about his reaction.

He smiled ruefully. "Good luck with that."

And just like that, with that one tiny little sentence, he had changed once more. Instead of looking at a little kid, I was now staring at a grown man in a child's body. Almost like he had had two very different childhoods . . . like at some point he had been an adult; which was entirely impossible as you all know.

"All right then . . . well let's go!" I exclaimed, shaking off all my previous thoughts. I could ponder why every single person I met in New York seemed to be a mystery later. For now, I needed to focus on the needy children, as any good humanitarian would do.

I rocked back on my feels once before moving forwards, bounding up a few steps before Ari's shout stopped me dead in my tracks.

"NO!"

"Huh?" I inquired, turning to face him with a puzzled expression on my face.

He was standing in the exact same spot as before, as if rooted to the ground there. His right arm was outstretched before him, like he could somehow reach out far enough to snatch me back to him. His eyes were wide and he looked, quite frankly, scared.

"Don't go in there!" he cried in panic.

"Why?" I questioned him suspiciously.

"Because I don't want you to," he insisted.

"And why not? Don't you want me to meet some of the other kids?"

"No," he replied in anguish, his face falling.

"Why not, Ari? Do you think they won't like me?" I asked teasingly, bewildered as to why he was so upset all of a sudden.

"Of course they'll like you! That's the whole problem. You're so cool, Max. Too cool. They'll all want to be your friend, and then you'll forget all about me. Sure at first you'll try to give me some of your attention, but they'll tell you bad things about me . . . and after awhile you won't want to be my friend, just like they don't want to either." By then his expression was completely ashen.

Uhm . . .

"Okay, it's fine. We don't have to go, I guess. We can find something else to do," I replied slowly, trying to keep up with his sudden mood swing.

Was it even possible for things to get any weirder from this point on?

Probably.

**- }{ -**

It turned out that Biology, my other class without Alison, was also another class I shared with Cam Ravenbeck.

Flipping fantastic!

You know what else was ironic? There was only one seat left in the entire room, because I had sat at that very same table, all alone, the previous day . . . I'll let you take a gander at who I would have to share my lab table with for the remainder of the year.

Was it Rebecca Silvers, who only needed a bit more hair here and there, a tail, and whiskers to perfectly resemble a mouse in every possible way?

Good guess, but no.

Was it Steven Romo, the thick-headed jock whose mind was consequentially full of nothing but rocks?

You're getting close on the jerk-o-meter, that's for sure.

Was it Cam Ravenbeck, the newest bane of my existence who I was- at the same time- oddly attracted to?

_Ding, ding, ding_! We have a winner.

As if my life couldn't get any more tragic. It was with much dread that I made my way to the back of the room, hesitating for a mere second before slamming my books onto the table and pulling my stool out from under it. I sat down gingerly, sliding as far away from Cam as possible. I wasn't sure if he had noticed or not. He hadn't made any move what so ever to acknowledge my presence, and at the present moment he seemed especially immersed in his notebook. I ever so discretely swiveled my head around, trying to stealthily peek at the paper.

With one fast, lithe movement he snapped it shut, blowing my one chance completely. I glanced up, startled by his abruptness, only to be met with his cold, flinty gaze. His eyes were clearly accusing, and I was surprised by their intensity. I had already gotten used to his carefully blank composition.

"Uh . . . sorry," I muttered. "I . . . uh . . . dropped my pencil."

He looked faintly amused then, adopting an annoyingly condescending smirk that made me just the slightest bit flustered, I begrudgingly admit.

"You're pencil's right there," he said smoothly, pointing to the writing untensil that was lying right beside my hand.

"Oh . . . I . . . I guess my eyes are just playing tricks on me then," I replied, laughing shakily as I tried to smile, though it came out as more of a grimace.

"Right," he said, the corner of his mouth quirking up the slightest bit. I wasn't the only one surprised by this almost-smile either. I saw his eyebrows pull together and he then wore a barely audible frown.

It was kind of cute, actually.

I was horrified then. How could my mind come up with something like that!? I turned away quickly, focusing my attention on the teacher who had just begun to start class. I needed to shake Cam out of my mind, because it was obvious that his good looks were getting to me . . . and maybe it was something else too, a small voice in the back of my mind said. Maybe it was the sense of security I felt when I was in his presence. Maybe it was the way my heart stuttered erratically when he popped up in my head. Maybe it was . . . maybe it was just the fact that I had this overwhelming feeling like I knew him from somewhere . . . like I had met him before.

But that was impossible . . . right?

"Okay everyone, listen up!" the teacher, , shouted- trying to grasp our attention.

The room fell silent rather quickly, and I had to wonder if Mr. James had a bit of a reputation on his hands. I mean, he didn't appear to be the old, miserly type. In fact, he was rather young. Probably in his late twenties or early thirties. He had yet to achieve the receding hair line, as most of the male teachers in this school had, and he appeared to be in good physical shape.

"It's almost half-way through the year, as some of you may know, and I'd like to refresh your minds on some topics."

A chorus of groans was issued across the room; people expecting some sort of pop quiz to be handed out.

"Now, Science is all about what?" he asked after everyone had calmed down.

His gaze flitted around the room, passing over the few raised hands until his eyes alighted on me; hunched over in my seat, trying not to be seen.

"Ah, Max; our resident newbie," he proclaimed, grinning. "Can you tell me what Science is all about?"

"Uh . . ." I racked my brain for a proper answer. I remembered back in Arizona, sitting in Mrs. Henley's suffocating classroom where she started every class by drilling the same phrase into our minds over and over again.

Science is discovery.

"Discovery," I said quickly. "Science is discovery."

"Exactly!" he cried, clapping his hands together. "Science is all about learning new things; solving the earths most challenging puzzles. When you're a scientist, you're a detective. That's why today, we're going to practice your sleuthing skills."

It seemed that the class didn't really know what to make of this. They were caught between wanting to complain and being happy about not having to take a real quiz.

"We'll start out with an example of what you're to be doing. Eeny . . . meeny . . . miney . . . _Max_."

I was tempted to do a facepalm right then and there, while simultaneously disappearing through the cracks in the floor. I mean really? He was taking 'pick on the new kid' to a whole different, much more painful, level.

"How well do you think you would be able to judge a persons character by just looking at them?" Mr. James inquired, taking a seat on the corner of his desk and folding his hands in his lap.

I paused for a moment before replying, "I think I'm pretty good at reading people."

"You sound confident," he mused. "Let's just see if that pays off. Go on ahead and stand up."

I wanted to give him an incredulous look, or otherwise show him a bit of my mega-sized attitude . . . but the truth was I kind of liked Mr. James. He had lots of . . . _spunk _for an adult. That was why I found myself standing, trying not to be embarrassed by all the faces turned up to stare at me.

"All I want you to do is describe Cam's character by your first impression of him," Mr. James explained, looking at me expectantly.

I took a deep breath, deciding that I might as well be honest in every way. Besides, I thought with a hint of smugness, what better way to embarrass Mr. Cool, Calm and Collected?

"Well," I began, holding up three fingers. "You look at Cam Ravenbeck, and three words automatically come to mind. One; good looking," I admitted, ticking a finger off as I went. "Two; popular . . . and three; _jerk_."

That wiped the smirk from my first comment right off his face.

"But that's only from a fleeting glance . . . If you look a bit closer; you find an entirely different story," I conceded, surprising myself with the earnest in which I was speaking. It was like I was trying to defend him or something.

"The truth is, Cam Ravenbeck may be hott, and he may be a super star to the school . . . and he may act like a jerk to other people, but I don't think he is one. I think he does what is expected of him, but that's not really how he feels. He's extremely closed off and private; which adds up to one conclusion in my mind . . .

"He's not himself when he's around his so called 'friends'. You can tell by the way his eyes are always blank. It's a shield from the rest of the world. He's trying to protect himself from something, but at the same time he's trapping himself inside his mind.

"So no, I can't tell you what kind of person Cam is . . . because I don't know. Maybe nobody does . . . but I _can _tell you, that the person he appears to be now is just a faux pas. Completely fake."

Through my whole speech I had refused to look at Cam's face, but now I glanced down- curious as to what his reaction would be to my outrageous, though very true, claim.

Nothing could have prepared me for his wrath. He was practically simmering in his seat. His hands were gripping the edge of the table and I knew without a doubt that his iron grip would leave finger indents in the wood. He was trying to manage calm . . . but that was one fight he was clearly losing.

Well crap.

The bell overhead rang, signalling the end of the period. Cam was out of his seat faster than I could have ever imagined. He stalked out of the room, his head bent low and his eyes downcast. Ever so slowly I shook myself back into action, methodically clearing my own things from the desk and walking stiffly to the door, vaguely calling out a good bye to Mr. James as I went.

I was the last one out of the room, and as I closed the door behind me a hand shot out from the shadows in a tiny alcove I hadn't noticed before. It latched onto my arm, yanking me forcefully into the darkness.

**Authors Note: CLIFFHANGER! Want the next chapter quick? REVIEW! (Please?)**


	10. Fallen Angels

**Authors Note: Holy crap guys! Your reviews make me so happy! Keep 'em coming. PLEASE! We passed the one hundred mark! YAY! (:**

_**Chapter Ten**_

**- Fallen Angels -**

"What the-!?" I shouted in panic, going on the defensive immediately.

"_Shh_!" Cam hissed, pulling me through a door set into the wall, one I hadn't seen before. We tumbled out into a deserted hallway, and I recognized it as the East Wing; which was unused by the school.

_Okay _. . . why the heck was Cam Ravenbeck, _Cam Ravenbeck_, the epitome of cool at RHS, bringing me into what was widely known as a make out . . . amongst other things, spot?

"What the hell was that!?" He spat through clenched teeth, backing me up against a wall. His eyes were flaring dangerously, blazing with anger. This dude was seriously scaring the crap out of me!

"What do you mean?" I breathed, trying to sound calm even though on the inside I was having a major meltdown.

"Back there in class," he whispered coldly, his expression stony, pressing my back into the wall even farther, which seemed almost impossible yet it happened all the same.

"I don't know what you're talking about," I insisted, even though I had the sneaking suspicion that he was referring to my stripping of his character in front of the entire class.

"All those . . . _things _you said."

"I just did what Mr. James told me," I replied, taking a few discreet breaths to calm myself.

"Yeah, right." He laughed bitterly. "You embarrassed me in front of all those people. Do you understand how fast this is gonna spread, newbie? I'm going to have to shoot down rumors every which way I turn."

"Well that's your problem, not mine," I said smartly, finally able to gather my bearings.

"No, you're the one that caused this!"

"You know what?" I cried, pushing myself off of the wall. Cam was startled by my sudden movement, and I caught him off guard. He stumbled back a few steps, giving me a hair-raising glare. "The only reason your so mad, is because you know what I said was the truth."

And with that I spun around and clambered back into the other corridor, leaving a stunned Cam behind me.

**- }{ -**

"So far you have tactfully evaded any confrontation with the enemy, but I can smell the head on collision coming. It's sort of a rotten scent; masked by something a bit sweeter, like it's trying to hide itself."

"No Aly, that's my lunch your wandering nostrils have detected," I replied in disgust, spearing the glob those cooks have dared to call food with my fork, wrinkling my nose at the pungent odor wafting off of it.

After reminding myself to pack a lunch multiple times last night I had forgotten, though that wasn't totally surprising. Today the gods must have been smiling down upon me though . . . very maliciously with pitchforks in their hands. Both choices had been extremely unappealing, though I tried to pick the lesser of the two. I still rated it a seven on my I'd Rather Not Eat This scale. Right before say . . . roasted desert rat? Not that I had ever tried such an entree before . . . but it somehow sounded familiar. Probably some French delicacy. Oh wait, that was snails, wasn't it?

"Yeah . . . you might be right," Alison agreed, eyeing my tray like she was afraid the mush was going to jump up and eat her; and who could really tell with this crap anyway?

"Alright, let's just blow this popsicle stand. The bells about to ring anyway. We can evade some more confrontations by scoping out the hallways before the period's over," I suggested, my chair already scraping across the floor before she had a chance to answer.

"You can't live your life on the run, Max. They'll catch up to you eventually," she replied condescendingly.

For some odd reason her claim sent chills up my spine, and a sense of foreboding settled in the pit of my stomach. Her words held a note of familiarity to them, though I couldn't imagine why. To make things even stranger, I had a sudden flashback of six kids sitting around a campfire, torn up and dirty . . . yet smiling and laughing all the same. But I could swear I had never seen them before . . . all except for one . . . who suspiciously resembled Cam; which made me think that maybe it had just been some little fantasy of mine.

"Max . . . _Max_?" Alison's insistent voice finally breached the void of my consciousness, and I was snapped abruptly back into reality.

"Are you coming or not?" she asked impatiently, already having walked a few paces away.

"Oh, yeah . . . sorry," I muttered, collecting my things quickly before following after her.

How strange . . .

**- }{ -**

"And we survive yet another period," I said sarcastically, bumping shoulders playfully with Alison. She was such a worry-wart sometimes. Like she actually expected Mallory to ambush me sometime during school hours.

"Yeah, but only because Cam and Mallory were suspiciously absent from class," she insisted.

There was no need to remind me . . . because we all knew they were probably making out under the bleachers.

Ugh.

"_Okay_, because you just knew that fifth period History was when this supposed 'fight' was going to go down."

"I did! I'm very intuitive about these things Max, trust me."

"Right," I said with an eye roll.

Now came the time when we parted ways, and I was shipped off to English where I was forced to sit in silent torture beside one Cam Ravenbeck; as if we hadn't been through enough drama today.

Great.

"See ya later _Allie_-gator," I joked, giving her a wink.

Now it was her turn to roll her eyes.

"Good bye Max."

"Eh, you're so boring sometimes!" I called out after her as she retreated into the dense wall of students. In reply she flipped me the bird without even turning her head.

"Ooh, that one's new," I murmured, surprised at her blatancy.

And then it was time for English.

**- }{ -**

"I read over your writing papers from yesterday. Some were very satisfactory. I could definitely see some improvement. Others were lacking in a few departments . . . give or take," Mrs. Mullins announced, waving her stack of papers in the air as she spoke. I didn't miss the way she pointedly glared at Christopher Sanchez as she said that last bit, and he didn't either by the way he shrunk down in his seat.

"One piece in particular caught my eye though . . . and I'd like to ask that person to read it aloud, as an example of what fine writing truly is," she said, smiling warmly.

Murmurs broke out across the room, and I saw one girl that was sitting smack dab in the front row, centered completely, sit up straighter with a proud grin. She even started to stand a little as Mrs. Mullins said, "The paper is titled 'Fallen Angels, by Max Martinez'. Max, would you mind terribly reading your piece to the class?"

_What!?_

Oh no . . . Oh no, no, no. This was not good. Not good at all. God, why couldn't I have picked a better topic to write on!? Why did I have to take that particular subject and turn it into an assignment?

"Sure," I replied, even though everything inside me was screaming 'NO!'.

Slowly I wound my way to the front of the room, taking my paper with a timid smile, which Mrs. Mullins returned with a grateful one. I stood up a little straighter, clearing my throat. I knew my face was heating up as I began, and I was practically boring a hole into the paper, I was glaring at it so intently. I really didn't want to see my peers snickering at me.

_The sky was a clear, cloudless blue; stretching on forever like a vast ocean of calm water. There were no clouds in sight, just us . . . and the wind. From every angle the horizon was an empty void. For once there weren't any disturbances in the atmosphere. For once . . . we were safe from any harm _they _could inflict._

_Laughter bounced all around me, a smile passing like a shadow upon my lips. Excited exclamations and cries filled the open air, the memories of wide grins imprinted in my mind. The soft 'whoosh' of feathers could be heard between the ecstatic outbreaks. Six individual pairs of wings beating in time, keeping ourselves aloft._

_My heart was soon to bursting from the happiness swelling inside me. We were usually so depressed, our moods sour. Not a lot could be found that was good in our lives . . . but today, as we flew across the plains, no matter how shortlived the moment, we could pretend that nothing was wrong._

_We would simply fly, soaring high above the rest as we dropped off our problems at ground level, waving good bye as we left them behind._

_His hand brushed mine softly, with the lightest of pressure. I couldn't see his face, but I imagined the usually non-existant smile that was no doubt upon it and my world lit up like a million suns. His smiles were the best . . . his smiles were special, because they were so far and few._

_Suddenly a new noise pierced the calm of the atmosphere. It was mechanical, like an engine. A chopper, its proppellers spinning in quick succession, lying a beat for what was soon to be a haywire chase._

_But then, as I moved forwards, gaining speed, there was another chopper in front of us . . . then on either side. For once, _they _had us totally surrounded. We couldn't go any farther up, the air pressure was too suffocating. Our only option was down . . . but they had that covered too._

_Could this be the end?_

_I reached out, grasping for his hand. In a time like this, I needed his strength to help me make a quick decision as the others swell moods vanished, replaced by an ever increasing panic._

_But it was too late._

_I hadn't thought fast enough._

_I hadn't protected them like I had promised I would._

_I had failed._

_One by one I heard their agonized screams as they were shot from the sky, snipers stationed in the choppers with their guns full of an unknown substance. It was a mystery whether they were truly going for the kill, or whether they were just knocking us out so they could deal with us properly later._

_Soon we were the only two left, and I clung to his hand as tightly as possible. I felt a prick in my neck and the world began to tilt at an odd angle. My vision was blurring, and the outer edges were become fuzzy and darker every second that passed. I couldn't help but cry out as his hand was ripped forcefully from mine and I went tumbling through the open air, unsure of my surroundings. _

_Then the world collapsed down on me and everything went a deathly, nightmarish black._

I tried not to let on how affected I was by the content of my paper. I did my best to still my shaking hands, but they continued to quake audibly.

It was just a stupid dream! One that I had been having about once or twice a week since a few months ago. It wasn't like I understood anything that had been going on. The thoughts inside my head were entirely foreign, like I was inhabiting the body of a different person. I hadn't even seen any of the people's faces, just their voices . . . and his touch.

Yet that still didn't explain why I was so freaked.

Slowly the students began clapping, until the room was filled with a thunderous applause. Mrs. Mullins was beaming proudly, and even Christopher seemed impressed. Front Row tried to hold back her amazement, but she couldn't help but gaze at me in wonder.

It hadn't really been that good, had it? I mean, all I had done was write down everything I saw . . . and since I had a really good memory, I even remembered most of the observations I had made in the dream itself.

"Very good, Max. You have real talent," Mrs. Mullins said softly to me, taking back the paper I handed to her.

"Thanks," I muttered uncertainly, my face flushing ever so slightly.

I stumbled back to my desk, my knees giving out a bit as I sat. The hairs on the back of my neck stood up, and I felt that same sensation that I was being watched as I had yesterday when I was leaving the school. Without trying to be sneaky I glanced over at Cam, only to find him watching me with a calculating expression. There was some emotion in his eyes, one I couldn't decipher.

"What?" I hissed underneath my breath, so I wouldn't interrupt Mrs. Mullins lecture.

"Nothing," he replied after a moment, looking sharply away.

Even when I wasn't staring at him, I still couldn't get that expression out of my head . . .

**Authors Note: Review and tell me what you think? Hopefully this chapter explained some things . . . or maybe just created more questions . . . **


	11. Friends

**Authors Note: Sorry for not updating sooner. I've been busy with school and volleyball . . . I knew I had to update real quick though, because I have a tournament tomorrow and I'll be gone all day. So enjoy!**

_**Chapter Eleven**_

**- Friends -**

"Oops, looks like that's my ride," Alison announced, gesturing in the direction of the lane of parked cars.

"You're not coming home with me?" I asked, faintly surprised.

"Nope . . . I told you earlier today, I have a dentists appointment . . . remember?" she inquired, raising one eyebrow.

"Oh, right," I said, even though I still didn't know what she was talking about.

"You're not very good at lying."

I smiled ruefully in return.

"Is your mom here yet?" Alison questioned.

She began searching through the multiple cars stationed at the curb. An assortment of good, sturdy family vehicles and onyx black SUV's. There were even a few sleek sport cars thrown in the mix, which showed you just how different the wealth of some families was compared to . . . say, the person with the junky old station wagon. Yes, RHS was just a center of diverse incomes. Because only God knows there needed to be yet another rift between the rich . . . and the not so influential.

I didn't even attempt to search. I just simply said, "She's not coming."

"What do you mean? Do you need a ride? I'm sure my mom won't mind dropping you off real quick."

"No, it's fine. I was planning on walking home today. Mom had to take care of some stuff at the office. She won't be in until late," I explained.

"What!?" Alison shrieked, looking stricken. "Why on Earth would you think it's okay to walk home, all by yourself, when you're still on the Beck's hot list!? Did my comment about dark alley's not register to you?"

I laughed at how worked up she was, giving her a reassuring pat on the back. "I can take care of myself, Al. I'm a big girl now."

"That may be true; but even you aren't capable of defending yourself against a Prada purse filled with bricks to the head . . . or say a Jimmy Choo heel to your noggin!" Alison cried.

"You have some imagination, you know that right?" I cocked my head to the side, giving her a disbelieving look.

"Do you think I'm joking around!? I'm actually being fairly realistic," she insisted.

"Alison, they're cowards. I've only known them for two days, but this I'm positive of."

"I wouldn't be too sure, Max." She pursed her lips. "Just watch your back."

"I think your mom's getting impatient," I replied, motioning towards the general direction she had pointed to. I didn't know if it was a true fact or not, I just really wanted her to get off my case. She needed to understand that I would be perfectly fine.

"You're right, I need to get going. But please Max, for my sake, try to be careful. Don't attract unwanted trouble to yourself."

"I don't just go charing off into things," I insisted.

"Yeah, right," she said with an eye roll. "You're middle name is 'Charging Off'."

I was a bit shocked. The simple statement had sounded so familiar, and as she said it a strange image popped up in my mind. It was a small dog, maybe a Scottish Terrier, or something. His fur was all black, and his eyes were wide and intelligent. The weirdest thing though, was he had wings -_wings_- growing out from between his shoulder blades . . . It was a _dog_, for goodness sake!

I shook my head a bit, trying to clear it of that odd thought. It seemed that stuff like that was suddenly appearing in my mind quite a lot lately. I had to wonder if coming to New York had me hallucinating . . . or if maybe, just maybe, they were little snippets from my past coming together . . . but of course not! That was entirely impossible. None of the things I had seen so far had made any sort of probable sense.

Winged children? 

I don't think so.

Winged canines?

Even more far-fetched.

"I'll see you tomorrow Max," Alison called over her shoulder, and I realized that through my musing she had already begun to walk away- into the sea of people.

"Bye!" I shouted quickly, waving a tad bit.

Then I was alone.

As soon as the thought struck me I become increasingly uneasy. With a few instinctive glances around I did a sly three-sixty of the immediate area, scoping out any trouble. With so many people around though, I couldn't get a good read on things. It was very possible for Mallory or Mason to be hiding amongst the milling students, and the last thing I wanted was to be caught off guard.

Trying to not look too worried I slung my book bag over my shoulder and began walking at a steady pace to the sidewalk. When I got there I turned right, in the direction of my house, and tried not to break out into an obvious sprint. Instead I just kept loping along, glaring straight ahead. I didn't want to appear too suspicious.

The hairs on the back of my neck prickled and I knew someone was following me . . . and I had a pretty good idea who it was.

Crap!

Still I kept walking. Rule number one; never let your enemy know you're aware of their presence.

It troubled me when I thought this automatically, because I had never heard it before; yet it sounded familiar all the same. Maybe it had been in one of those action packed movies I always watched.

Or maybe I was going insane.

Up ahead the corner between the two streets loomed, dark and foreboding. I just knew that if the person behind me had a sinister plot, that would be when they chose to ambush.

Slowly I turned the corner, staying at the exact same space. My attempts at not letting on to the fact that I knew they were following me were becoming futile. The big confrontation was coming, just as Alison had predicted.

"Hey," a voice called out, distinctly male and smooth as porcelain.

I kept walking, acting as if I hadn't heard- or thought perhaps they weren't speaking to me.

"Max," they said, closer than before.

I took one more faltering step before stopping dead in my tracks. I fixed a blank expression on my features before turning on my heel and coming face to face with Mason Hollenbeck, Mallory standing a few yards away, sneering.

"Yes?" I asked calmly, trying to seem bored.

"We've been tailing you for quite some time now. You move fast, Arizona," Mason said, almost like a compliment.

"I'm sorry. Maybe if you had spoken up before," I replied while I began to walk once more.

"Where do you think you're going?" Mason inquired, and his voice took on a completely different tone. He reached out and gripped my arm between his hand, and I was surprised by how strong his vise was. He didn't appear to be that well muscled, not like Cam was.

"Leave me alone," I snarled, ripping it from his grasp.

"You're not leaving quite just yet," he murmured hostily, moving closer a step.

"Yeah," Mallory said haughtily. "You're going to pay for what you said to me!"

"Oh please." I rolled my eyes.

"You know, I was supposed to teach you a lesson about speaking to my sister with so little respect . . . but no one told me you were this hott," Mason said appraisingly, eyeing me up and down. The look on his face made me shudder in disgust.

"Mason!" Mallory hissed in disbelief, the shock clear on her face.

"What?" he demanded. "It's true."

"Get a life you nimrod," I spat, turning away once more, before I punched him right in the face for being such a sexist pig.

"You're staying!" he roared, latching onto my arm once more. He was squeezing it so hard that I couldn't help but gasp in pain.

"_Mason_," a low, cold, steely voice said- cutting through the atmosphere like a deadly knife.

We all whirled around in surprise, taking in the sight of one pissed off Cam. His shoulders were quivering in anger, and his hands were fisted at his sides. The glare he was shooting at Mason made even me want to cower in fear.

"Cam!" Mallory exclaimed nervously. "What are you doing here?"

"Let go of her." He ignored Mallory completely, all his deadly attention poised on Mason.

:"Alright man," Mason said hurriedly, dropping my arm and backing away a few steps, his hands up in defense. "We were only messing around with her. I wasn't actually going to-:"

"Get out of here," Cam snarled, not letting him finish.

Mason turned without hesitation and practically sprinted back the way he had come, disappearing around the corner with no intentions of coming back.

"Cam relax, we were just joking around," Mallory purred, putting a hand on his arm and batting her eyelashes suggestively.

Barf.

"You too," Cam said menacingly, glaring pointedly at her hand's placement.

Her mouth dropped in shock and her lower lip trembled. With jerky movements she stepped back, giving him a hurt look before she too ran back in the direction of the school.

We stood in mute silence then, each staring at anything but each other. Eventually Cam was the one to break the quiet.

"I'll walk you home."

It took a moment for his offer to register in my mind, but when it did I hurried to say, "That's not necessary."

"I wasn't asking for your permission."

"Really, I think I can manage-" I began.

"Just shut up," he said in exasperation, coming to my side.

I swallowed thickly, nodding my head.

What the hell?

**- }{ -**

I came to a stop at the front of the house, right beside the weathered park bench. I didn't say anything for a few moments, because I was unsure of the right words. What could you say to a guy that had just protected you from his girlfriend and her brother, even though you had previously thought he hated you?

"Um . . . thanks . . ." I muttered finally. "For everything."

"No problem," he said stiffly, shrugging his shoulders.

We stood in awkward silence then, just waiting. He looked like he had something he wanted to say, but when he opened his mouth, all that came out was; "Well bye." And then he turned and began walking away.

"Wait!" I called out after him, wanting to slap my hand over my mouth after I had done so.

He looked up at me expectantly, one eyebrow raised.

"Why are you being so nice to me?" I blurted out before I could stop myself.

Stupid, stupid, stupid!

"What do you mean?" he asked in confusion.

"I . . . It's just that . . . Well first I insult your girlfriend . . . and then there's the thing in Biology, which you obviously didn't like too much. I kind of thought that . . . well I kind of figured you . . . hated me," I stuttered.

His eyes softened and he said, "I don't hate you, Max. Far from it actually."

"What do you mean?" Apparently it was my turn to be confused.

"You were right," he replied.

"I usually am," I said with a quick smile. "But in this case, about what?"

"Back there in the hallway," he explained. "You said the only reason I was so mad is because I knew all the stuff you said had been the truth . . . You were right. You were right about _everything_."

I blinked a few times in shock.

"It's just that . . . after the accident, my past wasn't just fuzzy. It was non-existant. I couldn't remember anything . . . kind of like what you told Mrs. Mullins. Maybe I had a really good friend before that . . . but now, I just can't seem to get close to people. It's like there's something stopping me, but I don't know what. I was always pretty closed off, but it got worse. I wasn't acting like myself. I was just doing what was expected of me, like you said. Pretty soon I hid the real me altogether. I thought it would be easier that way."

"But it's not . . . is it?" I whispered, taken aback by his brute honesty. Here was Cam Ravenbeck- hottie extraordinaire, spilling his heart out to me, Max- the new kid.

"It gets tiring sometimes. All of the people I hang out with are so shallow and fake. Do you think I can share any of my views on things with them? I see things a lot more in depth than any of them do . . . You're the first _real _person I've met since the accident, Max."

"What's that supposed to mean?" I asked breathlessly.

"I . . . I'm getting fed up with just staying silent. I don't have anybody to talk to. Nobody that even remotely thinks the way I do. I just want . . . I mean, I want . . . Oh God, I'm really not one for words. I don't know how to say this," he muttered in frustration, running a hand through his midnight locks.

"Just spit it out," I said softly.

"I want . . . to be friends."

_What!?_

**Authors Note: Oh! I am so evil! ANOTHER cliffhanger! Hehe, whelp review for the next chapter! (:**


	12. Embarrassment

**Authors Note: I guess people didn't like the last chapter? Because I had twenty reviews for the last couple . . . and I only got ten for that chapter. It was one of the big turning points in the story, too. *Sigh* Oh well . . . Thanks to all that did review though!**

_**Chapter Twelve**_

**- Embarrassment -**

To say I was surprised would be the understatement of the century. Even going as far as to assume I was shocked would be wide from the mark. Try mortified . . . and extremely astounded. Flabbergasted and utterly paralyzed by his stunning request.

Never in my two days (that, give me some credit; seemed like _forever_) of knowing him had I ever imagined Cam Ravenbeck wanting to be my friend.

He was still staring at me with those fathomless dark eyes, boring a hole into my sluggish mind. His expression was carefully unreadable, and I knew he was prepared for the rejection he thought was sure to come.

After a few more minutes of my wordless answer he ducked his head in embarrassment, shuffling his feet awkwardly.

"I'm going to take your silence as a no."

My brain was trying furiously to process his statement, but I was still too abashed to think clearly.

With a sigh he said, "I kind of figured that would be what you said . . . or rather what you didn't say. I thought I'd at least try though."

With a nod in my direction he turned his back to me, sticking his hands in his front pockets and walking down the long stretch of side walk. His head stayed bent, his shoulders hunched over in defeat. I knew that this was going to be one of the few times I saw him looking so . . . vulnerable.

"You're not kidding, are you?" I called out after him in a surprisingly calm voice, still rooted to the spot.

He paused, one foot still suspened in mid air. Slowly he turned to face me once more, giving me a quizzical look. With his brow furrowed he asked the most obvious question a person would in such a situation.

"What?"

"This isn't just some sick joke that you all formulated?" I demanded, frowning to myself.

"They're not that smart Max, we both know it."

I nodded, mulling his preposition over in my mind.

"So you want to be . . . friends?" I inquired, just checking to make sure my hearing wasn't completely out of whack.

"Uh, yeah," he muttered stiffly.

Friends, I thought over and over again. Me . . . and Cam. _Friends_. I kind of liked the sound of it. It had a certain ring to it, I suppose. It was an occurrence right out of an alternate dimension. Besides, who was I to defy all logic by saying no to this most innocent request?

"I think . . . I think I'd like that," I admitted, giving him a small smile.

Now in any normal circumstance, the person representing Cam would let out a whoop of joy and grin broadly while running to my side and picking me up in a huge hug. Maybe even twirl me around a bit . . . and then slowly but surely, he would fall in love with me.

But this was Cam . . . and that was extremely uncharacteristic for him, which was why I got the faintest flicker of a smile, and that was it.

Wonderful.

"So . . .?" I said slowly, glancing at my feet awkwardly.

I got a small shrug in response.

"Do you . . . uh . . . do you want to come inside?" I asked cautiously, biting my lip anxiously.

He hesitated, a brief look of doubt crossing his features. His brow furrowed, his eyelashes casting elongated shadows across his cheek bones. God, he was gorgeous!

_What the-!?_

"I mean, friends do that . . . right?" I inquired, crossing my arms over my chest self consciously.

"Uh . . . yeah, I guess they do," he agreed.

"So do you want to come inside? My mom won't be back for awhile." All too late I realized what my words might imply and I flushed profusely before stammering quickly, "The only person home will be my sister."

"Okay," he replied after a moment of thought. "Sure."

It took all my willpower not to sigh in relief.

Slowly I turned and began walking to the front door, checking back over my shoulder every second or so to make sure Cam was still dutifully following after me. I kept expecting him to disappear into the dusk, but surprisingly enough he was there behind me every time. He seemed to sense my feelings because after the first few glances he began to smirk, and then finally he sighed and said, "I'm not going anywhere Max."

I laughed shakily, doing my best to explain; "It's just that . . . well . . . you seem kind of . . . flighty for some reason? That and I keep thinking that maybe you're going to realize you made some huge mistake and disappear."

This made him frown, but he made no comment.

I looked away awkwardly, fishing the key to the house out of my pocket and fitting it easily into the lock. When I had pushed the door open I heard my sisters voice calling from the living room.

"Max, is that you?"

"Yeah," I shouted back, rolling my eyes at Cam before slinging my bag onto the small table. One corner of his mouth quirked up the slightest bit.

"Thank God! Did you know there's virtually nothing to eat in this house?" she asked as she rounded the corner. "I was hoping maybe we could run and get somethi- Oh . . . who's this?"

I wanted to die then, from the look she was giving me . . . then him . . . then me again.

"This is my _friend_," I muttered, putting obvious emphasis on the word friend.

"Right, right. Well I'm Ella, Max's sister," she said brightly, holding out her hand. Cam stared down at it, not making a move. Finally Ella got the hint and dropped it to her side with a faint blush.

"This is Cam, Ella. Cam Ravenbeck," I introduced him, since it seemed he didn't feel the need to elaborate further.

"_Ravenbeck_!?" Ella gasped, her eyes wide.

"Is that a problem?" he asked quietly, glaring slightly.

"What? No . . . it's just that . . . well aren't you, like 'it' at the high school."

"You could say that," he said, amused.

"But Max, didn't Alison say you got into a fi-"

"_Argument_. I didn't get in a fight with her," I insisted, shooting Cam a quick glance. My statement seemed to only make him smile more.

"Well," Ella said in exasperation. "Didn't Alison say you got into an _argument _with someone from the popular crowd?"

Cam began chuckling lowly to himself and I felt the need to reach out and slap his arm . . . so I did. He rolled his eyes and smiled, like for real smiled. I could even see his shiny white teeth. At that moment my . . . _my world lit up like a million suns _. . . just like in my dream.

Weird.

"Yes, actually I did. With his girlfriend in fact." I tried to sound light-hearted, but the thought of Cam being with Mallory made my mood darken dramatically.

Ella looked stunned and confused, like she couldn't for the life of her fathom this situation. With a shake of her head she turned around, heading back to the living room and her precious TV. I heard her mutter, "High schoolers," to herself as she went.

I laughed, grinning at Cam. He smirked in return, and I knew that this friendship wasn't going to be hard or awkward. I was going to be just fine with him. It would be ultimately effortless and comfortable, because for some odd reason . . . I already felt like I knew him.

I already felt like he was my best friend.

"Come on, let's go fix this 'no food' situation," I said, motioning for him to follow me into the kitchen.

"Good, because I'm starving," he admitted.

Yeah, we would definitely be all right.

**- }{ -**

If ever before I had previously thought my appetite was overly large, it was by some miracle that I would discover another who could practically inhale such huge consumptions of food.

It seemed that Cam was a never-ending surprise.

I stared at him incredulously as he polished off his third cheeseburger in about four bites; sucking down the last remnants of his second chocolate milkshake. All before I had had time to distribute Ella's food to her while taking a seat to dig into mine.

"What?" he asked self consciously, setting the empty cup down and folding his hands back behind his head.

I opened my mouth to say something but Ella beat me to it, exclaiming, "I never thought I'd see the day!"

"What?" he asked again, raising an eyebrow.

"Never in all my life did I think it was possible to find someone who could even compare in the slightest bit to Max and her eating habits . . . but here's living proof, right in my very own kitchen," she said in amazement.

Cam smirked, winking at me; where I was stupidly frozen, a bit of lettuce hanging out of my mouth.

"Oh shut up Ella," I mumbled around my mouth full of food.

Sure my mom must have taught me manners at some point in my life, but from the very beginning I had said to heck with 'em! Who needed proper table etiquette when I could stuff my face and be happy all at the same time? Who actually wanted to be all stiff and proper?

Not Max.

With a sigh Ella pushed her half eaten veggie burger away, putting her head in her hands and glaring distastefully at it.

"You'll have to remind me again of when you became a vegetarian," I said, pulling at my straw.

"A few months ago," she replied in a melancholy tone.

"Really? Because I'm pretty sure I saw you chomping on a steak at the Diner with William Hayes a week or so before we left," I insisted, giving her a wicked grin.

She gasped in shock, shooting up immediately. "Why I never-!" she exclaimed, looking harried.

"Oh yes you did."

"_No_! I lost a bet to Rebecca, so I had to go on a date with him. It was purely forced! I went against my own free will," she claimed, close to tears.

"Yeah right, Ella."

She got a mischievous gleam in her eyes then, and a grin slowly spread across her face. I tensed up immediately, giving her a defiant glare, as if daring her to say something.

"Oh really? What about _Troy_?"

I froze, my mouth gaping open. I shot a quick glance at Cam, who had perked up in interest.

"Oh yes, good 'ole Troy," Ella said teasingly.

"NO!" I shouted.

"Who's Troy?" Cam inquired innocently, though there was an undercurrent to his words, one which I couldn't exactly put my finger on. There was some emotion, but it wasn't easily identifiable.

"Ella stop!" I pleaded.

"Troy's Max's boyfriend," Ella said in triumph, relishing in my ashen expression.

"_Ex_-boyfriend."

"Yeah, that's right. You broke up with 'His Gorgousness' when we moved, you idiot!"

"I broke up with him long before that. He was delusional enough to think otherwise, the imbecile. He was such a jerk, and quite possibly insane. I don't know how you can worship him so much. He's not a freaking god!"

It was true. Troy Valdez _was _gorgeous, and he _was _seemingly perfect; with his light blue eyes and chestnut locks, and he knew it too, which made him a pompous fool. He thought he had me on a leash, but I wasn't someone who could be chained. I don't know how I could have ever fallen for him in the first place, but just remembering those charming good looks and the gentlemanly fashion in which he usually treated me made my insides melt just the tiniest bit. It was hard for anyone, even _me_, to resist that smile.

"Max, he was the hottest guy I've ever seen in my life," she insisted.

"Impossible," I stated.

"Oh really? Then name one person that's better looking."

"Easy," I said in an offhand manner, though really I was panicking inside. There was only one person I could think of that was even hotter than Troy, but I don't think I could take the embarrassment of admitting such a thing.

"You can't say Leonardo DiCaprio either," Ella said dreamily. "He doesn't count."

I couldn't help but shoot a quick glance at Cam, and I was surprised to find that he looked kind of . . . angry. It was like a shadow had passed across his face, and he appeared even more brooding than ever.

"_Fine_," I replied haughtily. "Cam is ten times better looking than Troy _ever _was."

I wanted to die as soon as the dreaded words left my mouth. Ella didn't seem so surprised, almost like she expected me to say something along those lines . . . but Cam . . . Oh Cam. His head snapped up in shock, and his eyes widened just the tiniest bit; which was enough to make me realize that he had truly not anticipated such a claim.

I'm sure my face was a bright cherry red, my mouth hanging open, unsure of what to say. There weren't really any proper words to mend a situation like this; one that I had plunged myself into without thinking it through properly.

"I- uh . . . I . . ." I stuttered.

**Authors Note: Okay, I am officially Queen of Cliffhangers! Haha! Well, you know what to do to get the next chapter. REVIEW!**


	13. The Game of Jealousy

**Authors Note: Wow, school was great today! We had a student versus staff basketball game . . . The teachers DOMINATED! It was actually quite depressing . . . Anyway, I was in a good mood, so I thought I'd update!**

_**Chapter Thirteen**_

**- The Game of Jealousy -**

I was, quite cliche-ly, saved by the bell . . . or rather, saved by the insistent knocking on our front door.

"I'll get it!" I exclaimed, whirling around and practically sprinting out of the room, and _symbolically _out of the entire situation; may it rest in peace.

I skidded to a halt, my shoes squeaking something fierce; the sound making me cringe. With a measured breath to calm myself a bit I opened the door with what I hoped was a cool composure.

"Hiya Max!" Ari grinned, waving his hand enthusiastically. I had come to learn that this was his usual greeting for me.

"Hey kid," I replied happily, ruffling his downy locks. He swatted my hand away, giving me a look that had me sniggering.

"Guess what?" he asked, smiling shyly at me.

"What?" I inquired, motioning for him to come inside.

As he stepped over the threshold he replied proudly, "I told them where I was going today."

"Really?" I questioned, patting him on the shoulder. "That's great, bud."

"I know . . . and they even seemed kind of happy. Not like they usually do . . ." Something in his expression worried me, but I decided now wasn't really the time to press him for details. He didn't like to talk about the orphanage much.

"See, I told you! No matter what you may think Ari, they really do care about you. Maybe with all those demanding kids it may not seem like it, but you're really good at taking care of yourself, which is probably a relief to them. I bet they're more grateful than you might think."

"Maybe," he said with a shrug.

"You hungry?" I asked as we made our way back towards the kitchen.

"No." He shook his head just as his stomach rumbled and growled ferociously. With his cheeks tinted pink he smiled sheepishly up at me.

"Oh really? Well that tummy of yours tells a _whole _different story," I said teasingly, poking his abdomen and making him giggle hysterically as he tried to escape my tickling.

"Is that you Ari?" Ella called out, appearing in the doorway.

Here we go . . .

"Hi Ella!" Ari said as Ella swooped in and scooped him up in a hug, even though he was about half her size. I couldn't fathom a reason why, but Ella seemed bent on becoming Ari's favorite Martinez, even though I told her time and time again he would always love me the most.

If we were all a part of the same family, I'd be more like the protective older sister to him, while Ella would be closer to a cousin. In fact, I already considered him to be like my little brother, even though we didn't share parents . . . as far as I knew. I wouldn't put my 'father' past adoption or whatever if there was an unwilling mother . . .

Cam appeared next, leaning against the door frame and staring at me thoughtfully. I blushed a little under his intense gaze, attempting a small smile which he returned with a smirk.

Great.

When Ari caught sight of him his brow furrowed and he frowned to himself.

"Who's that?" he demanded, never once taking his eyes off Cam. It was like he thought Cam couldn't hear him or something . . . it was kind of rude, actually.

"Huh? Oh, that's my friend, Cam," I introduced the two. "Cam, this is the littler bugger who we've all become frightfully attached to; _despite _his rotten attitude at times," I said pointedly.

Apparently, he wasn't getting the message.

Ari turned contemplative then, glancing back and forth between Cam and I calculatingly. Most people wouldn't worry, but then again, most people didn't have an _Ari_.

"Can I speak with you a moment?" Ari inquired politely, giving Cam a refined, though distasteful, glance.

"Um . . . sure," Cam replied slowly, raising an eyebrow at me.

I shrugged, biting my lip, because in truth, I had no freaking idea what Ari could possibly have to say. I was kind of scared though. Kid Ari had turned into Adult Ari like a light switch being flipped back and forth.

Crap.

Ari began walking towards the living room, not once looking back, as if he just knew Cam didn't have a choice but to follow him. After a moment Cam brushed past me, and I tried my best not to let on that where his shoulder had touched mine there were crazy, electrified tingles.

When they had safely disappeared around the corner I tip-toed forwards, leaning against the wall and straining my ears to listen to their conversation.

"So your good friends with Max, huh?" Ari asked conversationally.

I found myself biting my lip, anxiously waiting for Cams answer.

"Yeah," he said simply, but just that one word had my heart beating erratically in my chest.

"And you plan on spending a lot of time with her?" Ari's tone had turned sour, and I knew he was displeased.

"I hope so."

"Max is a very pretty girl, isn't she?"

Oh God.

There was a moment of silence, and I don't think I was ever more humiliated in my life. Of course Cam didn't think I was pretty. Why would he, when he had Mallory?

"Yeah . . . she is," Cam finally grudgingly admitted, and there was something in his voice that made me believe him.

"This is worse than I thought," I heard Ari mutter to himself, and then; "Let's just get one thing straight then."

I perked up in interest.

"When I get older, possibly in a few years, Max and I _will _be together. She might not know it yet, but she's going to be in love with me." Ari was so matter-of-fact that even I thought him to be telling the truth for a few seconds.

Then his words really set in and I couldn't help the laughter from bubbling up. I covered my mouth quickly to stop my guffaws from being heard. I bit my lip, but that didn't stop the tears from sprouting in my eyes, his claim was so hysterical to me. I continued to press my mouth into my sleeve, sliding down the wall until I was sitting down completely, having found that my legs had gone weak. I brought my knees to my chest, burying my face in them as a small giggle escaped.

Even Cam seemed amused by his statement, saying; "I don't think you have to worry about me. She's found herself quite a catch with you, kid."

"Exactly. So if you can't contain your teenage hormones than I suggest you sever all ties with her right this moment," Ari insisted murderously, and I could just imagine how frightened Cam was. Yes, he was probably quaking in his boots.

Not.

"I think I can manage."

"Good . . . Now if you'll excuse me, I believe it is time for a favorite show of mine."

The TV came to life, and I could picture Ari turning back into a child again, utterly transfixed by the latest animation. I don't think it was possible to find another with such sudden mood swings.

There were footsteps and then Cam materialized beside me, glancing down in confusion at my huddled form. Once he saw my grin though, he smiled a bit in return, letting out a low chuckle as he took a seat on the floor at my side.

"Eavesdropping, were we?" he asked, smirking.

"I don't know what you're talking about."

We sat in comfortable silence then, side by side, so close our hips were pressed together. My arm was smushed against his, and a warm feeling was spreading all through my body. There was something achingly familiar about Cam, and I couldn't figure out what exactly. Something that made me trust him completely . . .

Maybe even with my life.

**- }{ -**

I woke up the next morning thinking the previous day had to have been a dream. There was no other explanation as to how I felt Cam's presence lingering all through the house, but sure enough, as soon as I entered the living room I caught sight of his jacket, thrown carelessly across the chair. He must have forgotten it when he left last night. Mom had probably been too tired to notice it when she got home, so I snatched it up and stored it carefully in the back of my closet. He would have to come and get it later.

And he would come back, because friends did that.

"Max, let's go!" Mom called from the bottom of the steps, car keys in hand. Ella was standing at her elbow, like a good girl.

I rolled my eyes and shut the door, not sparing another glance into the mirror. There was no one I needed to look good for . . . nobody except maybe Cam . . .

As we walked outside I caught sight of Alison skipping down the steps of her apartment building. Sometimes her perkiness at every hour made me want to barf, but at the same time it was kind of refreshing. It showed that not every citizen of these United States was a total bum.

"Hey Al!" I called out.

"Hello Max, Ella, Mrs. Martinez," she greeted us all in turn with a bright smile, my mom groaning in exasperation at Alison's refusal to calling her Val.

"How many times have I told you-" Mom began heatedly.

"Plenty," Alison replied sweetly, smoothing a stray lock of her flyaway curls back into place at the nape of her neck. In fact, looking closer now, I realized she appeared to be a lot more dressed up than usual.

My the end of my examination my eyes had narrowed and I knew that something was up.

"Hey Al, how about we walk to school today?" I suggested, seeking out a time to confront her.

"What? Why?" she asked in confusion, one hand resting on the car door handle.

"I don't know . . . exercise . . . amongst other things," I replied nonchalantly. Most people would get offensive, acting like I had insulted their physique, but Alison was more understanding than the norm, and so she just nodded after a moment and stepped away from the curb.

"Sure," she agreed.

After that it took me awhile to work myself up to posing even one of my questions. Finally though, when I realized we were almost half way to school, I couldn't help but blurt out the first thing that came to my mind.

"You're looking chipper this morning," I ventured, gazing at her surreptitiously.

She laughed nervously before saying in a slightly shaky voice, "I don't know what you're talking about. I'm always happy . . . or did that feat of my personality miss your picky inspections?"

"It's more than that . . . you're even more perky than you usually are," I insisted.

"Max, you're delusional." Alison rolled her eyes, and for the first time I noticed the vaguely hysterical light in her baby blue irises.

She was definitely lying.

I came to a halt, crossing my arms over my chest and giving her the most disbelieving glare I could muster; which was a great deal any day. When she realized I wasn't following her anymore she turned with an eyebrow raised.

"Please, Al. You're not very good a lying. Telling false-hoods was not programmed into your DNA. Now tell me why the heck you seem so freaking ecstatic this gray, dreary morning!"

"Really, Max, it's nothing. A new family just moved into the building is all . . ."she trailed off, adopting a wistful smile. She got this faraway look in her eye, and I could tell there was more to the story than she was letting on.

"Oh?" I asked, hard pressed to work the details out of her. "And does this family happen to have any children?"

"Yes," she answered promptly, gazing down at her feet bashfully.

"Could they possibly be our age?" I inquired.

"Uh . . . yeah," she muttered, smiling shyly.

"Is this person of the, shall we say . . . male variety?" I questioned slyly, grinning at the blush that crept obviously up her neck and fanned out upon her dimpled cheeks.

"What ever gave you that idea?" she scoffed.

"What's his name?"

"You don't even know if it really is a boy!" she insisted.

In response I raised an eyebrow and gave her another disbelieving look. I wasn't stupid, she should know that by now. I never thought it was possible to make someone as blithe as Alison Edwards even more animated, yet some boy had come along and done what others could not.

It was crazy.

"What's his name?" I repeated, and by the look on her face I knew she had caved.

"James," she murmured, smiling a bit as she said it. "James Griffiths."

"And when will I get to meet this mysterious and elusive James Griffiths?"

"Soon, very soon. We'll probably see him at school today, you know since we're practically joined at the hip during school hours and I'm RHS's official welcoming committee," she explained as we began to trudge towards Hell once more.

"Does this mean I am now the second member of the group?" I teased.

"Yes, yes I suppose it does."

That was when I looked up and saw him, standing at the corner, leaning casually against the brick building like it was the most natural thing to do in the world. He looked like a model that way, hands in his pockets; gazing out at seemingly nothing. When we got closer he looked up and our eyes met. With a smirk he pushed himself off from his perch and made his way towards me.

Is it bad that my heart started beating faster and faster?

**Authors Note: OH! ANOTHER CLIFFHANGER! I am MEAN! Hehe, well review! (If not I'll hold the next chapter hostage) **


	14. Relief

**Authors Note: I belive we're moving along quite nicely, don't you think?**

_**Chapter Fourteen**_

**- Relief -**

_Cam._

I said his name in my mind just once and it was like a thousand sighs had been assembling together, and in the time span since I had last seen him until now they had all held their breaths' for this one moment in my infinite personal history. It was also then that I realized the relief I felt washing through my entire system was due to the simple fact that I had already convinced myself somewhere deeply rooted into my subconscious that he no longer wished to be in my company. Who was he to want to be friends with someone like me anyway? He was everything in the cliche of high school . . . and I was nothing. Not a speck on the margin.

No comparison what so ever.

"Oh my God," Alison muttered quickly under her breath, and I could physically feel her panic. She said the words so fast though, that they came out more as; "Ohmmlod"

"Hey," he called out a greeting, but just that one word, a simple _'hey'_, had my heart skipping a mile a minute.

"Hey," I replied happily, because he was talking to me, as if we were friends; which meant in his perspective we were . . . which also meant my entire day, no _week_, had brightened drastically.

Alison stood at my side nervously, a bundle of anxiety. I hadn't told her about my new found friendship with Cam. It just didn't seem like something that could be brought up out of nowhere.

"My jacket," he said briefly. "I left it at your house."

"I know, I picked it up this morning. I don't think my mom saw. I'm afraid she was a bit drowsy by time she got home last night. Either that or she chose to ignore it, because she never mentioned anything to me."

"That's good."

"Yeah. That probably would have spurred some motherly instinct in her, and she would have sat me down and given me 'the Talk', which would ensure me beating the crap out of you for misplacing your belongings and causing me such torture and malevolent pain."

I wasn't necessarily joking.

Nevertheless, he chuckled, giving me one of those signature smirks. That's all he ever did really; smirk. It was like it physically hurt him to smile, but in a way I was okay with that. It made those rare grins even more special.

"I'll stop by and get it tonight. I need it anyway. That way you can't cause me bodily harm."

"Good. Once again, Mom won't be around, so you can come whenever."

"I'll only be a few minutes though. I'd stay and hang, but I promised Mallory I'd take her to see whatever the newest chick flick there is that's out. Now that's what I call torture."

I nodded grimly in agreement, acid pooling in the pit of my stomach from the mention of that evil name. With a flare of annoyance I said, "You know I seriously hate your girlfriend, right?"

He chuckled again, which just infuriated me further. "Yeah, well, she hates you too."

"How can you do that?" I asked, my brow furrowing.

"Do what?"

"How can you be friends with me, when you know fully well that your girlfriend hates me. I just don't understand," I admitted.

His expression softened and he replied, "Like I said before; you're the first _real _person I've met since then, Max."

"And you don't care that she's probably going to go physco on you when she finds out?"

"Who says she's going to find out?"

It felt like I had been punched in the gut, stabbed in the heart and gunned down all at the same time. Every last bit of life that had threaded its way into my body since the move evaporated instantly, because I knew exactly what he meant.

"Right . . ."

"I'm sorry," he apologized, and he sounded so sincere that I couldn't help but nod and smile weakly; trying not to let him see how much his words had hurt me, inside and out.

We could be friends . . . just not when anyone else was around.

**- }{ -**

Alison had been doing a fantastic job of keeping her head on straight ever since the incident with Cam this morning. After he had disappeared in the direction of the school and we had followed shortly thereafter, she hadn't muttered a single word. It seemed though, that she couldn't hold her curiosity in any longer.

"What the hell was that!?" she exploded as we walked out of Spanish first period. I was surprised at her words. She didn't curse much, so I knew she was deadly serious.

"What do you mean?" I asked, feigning innocence.

"Cam Ravenbeck was at your house!?" she exclaimed.

The few people surrounding us glanced over swiftly in interest, and I grabbed Alison's arm roughly and pulled her to the side to escape the prying ears of the other students.

"_Shut up_!" I hissed, giving her a death glare.

"Sorry," she murmured guiltily. "But tell me what happened! I want every detail!"

"This isn't some juicy story you can pass around, Al! So if I'm going to tell you I suggest you drop your Gossip Queen act at the door, because if anyone gets word of this, I am going to kill you slowly and painfully," I intoned, my eyes narrowing.

"Okay, geesh. No need to overreact."

"I . . . It's just that I . . . Look, his entire image is at stake here. I don't want to be the one to ruin that," I explained cautiously, keeping a watchful eye on our peers milling about in the hall.

"Oh gosh!" she gasped, her eye widening. She knew this was important.

"Okay, so last night when I was walking home . . . uh, Mason and Mallory caught up with me," I started the story, almost cringing as I said it because I knew she was going to flip out.

"WHAT!?" she screamed in panic.

"Shh!" I covered her mouth with my hand, whipping my head around to see if anyone had heard. A few teens were looking at us, but after a moment their gazes traveled elsewhere and they moved on.

"Sorry . . . again," she added sheepishly. "Go on."

"Anyway, like I said they caught up with me. Then Cam showed up too, and he was really mad. He got all menacing and Mason was seriously scared. Heck, even I was afraid. If looks could kill . . . well, Mason would have been cold in his grave. Cam told Mason to leave and he literally ran away . . . and then he told Mallory to go as well. It was just me and him then. He offered to walk me home . . ."

"Oh my gosh!"

"Yeah, I know. I was surprised too. That's not the best part though, or rather the most insane. He . . . uh . . . he . . . he asked if we could be . . ." I trailed off, suddenly unsure of whether or not I should go on.

"He asked if you could be what?" Alison was frantic by this time.

"He asked if we could be friends," I whispered.

For once she was totally speechless, staring at me wordlessly with her jaw dropped to the floor. The surprise was etched so clearly on her face that I couldn't help but second guess myself. Maybe all this was just one crazy dream. If so, someone _please _pinch me now, because I don't know how much more of this I can take before I break down into pieces.

"That's SO-!" Alison began when a voice from down the hall interrupted her.

"Aly?" a male voice called, sounding a bit disoriented. "I know you're there. I heard you."

Alison blushed crimson, the corners of her lips turning up into a sheepish smile.

"Is that-?" I whispered.

"Yeah," she replied softly, turning to face the boy walking towards us. He didn't have anything to guide himself by, just his feet and the bright blue, un-seeing orbs set into his skull that were so extremely pale they took my breath away for a moment.

"Over here, James."

He glanced in our general direction as soon as Alison spoke, turning automatically and closing the short distance between us. He came to a stop with an easy precision, his accuracy surprising.

"So _this _is the James I've heard so much about," I drawled, giving Alison a sly wink.

"_Max_," she hissed under her breath.

"Uh, yeah, I guess," he said slightly self consciously, running his long, slender fingers through his stawberry blonde locks.

The kid was seriously tall. _Way _passed six foot. His hair was a messy mop of straight reddish-blonde strands, and his eyes were this faded, yet still piercing light blue. His smile had a hint of mischief in it, and I knew he was one of those people with a dozen tricks up their sleeves. James was someone you wanted on your side, that much I could tell, because if not he was dangerous. Once again, like the first time I had seen Cam and Monique, there was a flicker of recognition in my mind, like I had seen him before . . .

Like we knew each other from some past life.

He was one to watch out for.

"I'm Max, also a new kid," I introduced myself, not offering my hand. I wasn't much of a hand-shaker.

"Really?" he asked, and his whole face brightened, relief shining from his features. He even stood up a little straighter now that he knew that not all eyes would be on him. I was also available to share the spotlight.

Lucky me.

"Yup," I replied shortly.

"Where are you from?" he asked, seeming genuinely interested.

"Arizona, born and raised."

"Cool . . . I think I was born in Arizona actually, but I grew up in Colorado," he explained.

Overhead the bell rang, effectively ending our conversation.

"Crap! That's the tardy bell. We're going to be late for class . . ." Alison exclaimed, looking frantic once more. The chick seriously cared about her grades, and any misdemeanor scared her a heck of a lot. Her family _wasn't _rich, and so she depended on a clean slate to get her a scholarship for college.

"Al, relax; it'll be fine. Just tell the teacher the truth," I stated.

"And what is the truth? I was gossiping with Max? I don't think so!"

"No, you were showing the new kid around. The new, _blind _kid," I replied, tacking on, "No offense," directed to James.

"Eh," he replied, shrugging.

**- }{ -**

"You so like him," I stated blatantly.

Alison glanced up in surprise, her hand freezing in its furious scribbling. We were somewhere shoved far back into the shadowy recesses of the school library where no one else could reach us; having a 'study' session. A.K.A Alison was doing her homework while I sat, tipping back dangerously in my chair while staring off into space, daydreaming.

"Who?" she asked, and for a second she sounded so curiously confused that I almost believed it; key word her _almost_.

I pursed my lips, raising an eyebrow and giving her a demanding look. "Who do you think, dummy!? _James_, the guy you always blush and get all giddy around. Thank God he's blind, or else he would know about your little crush in a heartbeat."

"Just because he's disabled doesn't mean he isn't like the rest of us," she claimed defensively, giving me a defiant glare.

"Whoah, slow down there Ali-gaiter. I never said he wasn't."

This was worse than I thought.

"I know . . . it's just that a lot of people have been talking about him, and it makes me so mad! Sometimes they say it when he's standing right beside them. They don't even try to be quiet. It's like they think because he can't _see _them, he can't _hear _them either. It's sick!"

Oh, she had it _bad_.

"Relax, Al. Take a deep breath and choke down a chill pill, will ya'?"

Alison smiled weakly, returning to her paper titled _'Social Classes Through the Ages'_, which just sounded _so _incredibly interesting.

Um, not.

"As appealing as that sounds, I think I'll pass." She must have still sensed my concerned gaze on her though because she sighed and met my eyes once more. "Really Max, I'll be fine. I'm just worried about him, you know? It's hard enough for a person to fit in at this school. Then he has this disability that everyone takes as a free pass to poke fun at him," she explained.

"Once his arrival wears off and people get used to him being around, I'm sure the insults will stop. Besides, with all the trouble I'll no doubt be bound to get into with Mallory and her brother, I'm sure everyone will forget all about dear Jamie," I informed her, not entirely joking.

"I beg of you not to," Alison pleaded.

"You'll learn soon enough," was all I murmured.

"Learn what?" She was staring at me with this scared look on her face, like she expected me to flip out and murder someone or something. I may be a little unhinged, but I wasn't _that _bad.

"Sometimes you can't always control what you do."

**Authors Note: Okay, so you learned some more about James/Iggy (yes, James IS Iggy) in this chapter . . . AND it didn't really end in a cliffhanger! That's not really a cliffhanger, is it? Huh . . . Whelp, on another note, I'd really, really, really, really, really appreciate it if you REVIEWED! **


	15. Death by Chatterbox

**Authors Note: This might be your last update for the week . . . I'm going to be super busy from here on out with volleyball practice, a volleyball tournament, and then I have to go shopping to find a dress for my dang choir concert (warning; me . . . singing? *Shudder*), the ceremony for National Junior Honor Society, and all the graduation parties for seniors. Busy, busy, busy!**

_**Chapter Fifteen**_

**- Death by Chatterbox -**

A few weeks passed and my life concocted an effortless routine. I'd get up in the morning (while wishing I was in Arizona), drag myself through school (while wishing I was in Arizona), walk home (while wishing I was in Arizona), stay with Ari for awhile (while wishing I was in Arizona), and then I'd hang out with Cam . . . and suddenly I'd forget all about wanting to go home.

During this time span our frienship blossomed. It took awhile at first, for us to get all the awkwardness out . . . but it wasn't too long before we had created an easy banter and attitude when we were in each others company. I might even venture as far as to say he was my best friend.

But how could that be?

I mean, we had know each other for about a month tops. At first sight I had hated his guts while also having a scary attraction to him, though he squashed the former by asking if we could be friends. It's just that . . . I already felt like I knew everything about him. We understood each other on a level that only best friends could. Now granted most of this kind of knowledge was stored up over a long period of time between two people. Then again, I still couldn't shake the feeling that I knew him _before _all this. The way he acted was too familiar to me to be just a coincidence. There was something more to this picture I was missing . . .

But what?

I could guess most of his habits before he had even shown them, and he could do the same for me. There were a few holes here and there in our likeness, but the more time we spent together, the more it became clearer and clearer.

We _knew _each other.

Neither of us claimed to understand how or why. We didn't even really talk about it. It was kind of a touchy subject. The knowledge was always there though, hanging in the back of my mind as if taunting and teasing me. There was an immediate understanding between us, and things just tended to slide into place when we were together.

It was . . . easy. More so than we could have ever imagined.

He was becoming a drug to me though, and it definitely wasn't healthy. I needed to be around him, because if not I would start to remember Arizona and the things I left in my wake. When I was with him though, he made me forget . . . and all my worries disappeared into thin air. It took me awhile to figure out why I was always so comfortable when he was near, but when I finally did I wasn't exactly surprised.

Cam was a whole different kind of home.

**- }{ -**

"Hey Mom?" Ella asked.

Mom had finally gotten off of work early, and we were all sitting down to a nice Friday night dinner. Since it was _such _a special occasion (yeah, right) Mom had went all out with the food options, which I couldn't argue with at all.

"Yeah?"

"I was wondering-" Ella began when I cut her off.

"Uh-oh," I said teasingly to Mom, because we all recognized that tone. It was the one Ella used right before she asked for something that she really, really wanted. It was bad for the person she was asking, _and _for the people around them, because Ella often kept insisting on having whatever the thing was until a person couldn't help but say yes.

Anything to get her to _shut up_.

Ella shot me a glare, sticking out her tongue childishly before she resumed speaking with Mom.

"I was wondering if maybe Monique and I could have a sleepover here?"

"Sure Ella," Mom replied with a sigh of relief. Even I was a bit surprised. I had anticipated words like Prada, Versache, and 'oh, it was just the cutest thing I've ever seen!' to be thrown in the mix somewhere. Instead she asked for something that we could actually afford. "When?"

"Tonight." Ella stated.

"Oh," Mom said in realization. "Oh Ella not tonight dear."

"Why not?" she asked, and the whining was starting to creep in. For a fourteen year old she was sure good at acting like a total wimp.

"Because, honey, we're not prepared at all. There isn't much food left, the house is a mess, and it's just too sudden. Maybe next weekend, when we've had a little more time to plan. Besides, it's already five o'clock. By time Monique got here it would be too late for you to do anything anyway. You can tell her maybe some other time."

"It would only take her, like, ten minutes!" Ella insisted.

"To drive here; but she still has to pack and-"

"No she doesn't. All her things are ready."

Wrong thing to say.

Mom adopted a stern glare and she said with a sideways glance at me; "Something tells me these plans were already arranged and confirmed before I was told of them. What do you think, Max?"

"I think you're correct, Mother."

"It's just that I told her you were definitely going to say yes, because you were the best Mom in the entire world!" Ella said quickly.

Mom hesitated, a look of pride dancing across her features briefly. Inside my head I screamed, 'NO! Don't fall for it Mom, don't fall for it!' but I could see that my efforts were futile. For as smart as she was, she was eating it up.

"Alright Ella, just don't do it again," she said tiredly as Ella squealed in delight.

"Thank you, thank you, thank you!" she exclaimed, jumping up and giving Mom a huge hug. "And you," she said, turning to face me with her palm outstretched, "owe me five dollars."

I grumbled to myself as I snatched the bill out of my pocket, handing it over grudgingly. Ella and I had bet over whether or not Mom would fall for Ella's compliment. I thought she had been stronger than that . . . but apparently not.

"I always thought you had more will power Mom," I said with a sad shake of my head.

I left the room with an ecstatic Ella and a hopelessly confused vet behind me.

**- }{ -**

I would have been perfectly fine with Ella having one of her friends over had the friend not insisted on following me around everywhere, talking the _entire time_! If I got a moment of peace that night, it would have to have taken a mighty big miracle.

"-and so she looked at me and was like 'get out of my way!' all sneery and brat-like, like she thought since she was born in New York she was automatically better than me or something, but obviously I proved her wrong when I told everyone that I was from the exotic land of L.A. Then she got really mad and tried to make everybody shun me, but it didn't work because I'm such a love-able person and it was impossible for them to hate me, you know? Plus they wanted to know all about L.A. so they knew they needed to be nice to me, or else I'd sic Paris Hilton's dog on them, since she was my neighbor and we were like BFF's!"

"No way!?" Ella gasped, covering her gaping mouth with her hand in complete shock.

Would this torture ever end!?

"Well . . . not really. I kind of made the thing about Paris Hilton up, but I did meet her once. Honest to God! I was out shopping and I saw her, so I like went over and pretended to be looking at the clothes on the same rack she was looking at and when I pulled a shirt out she asked me to _move_! You know, so she could get past me, and it was the highlight of my entire life!"

"That's SO cool!" Ella squealed, clapping her hands together in excitement and awe. "Isn't that cool Max?"

"Super," I muttered agonizingly, slumping even further into the couch cushions. Maybe if I kept going I would dissolve into the material and never be able to hear Monique say another word again.

"Are you okay Max?" Monique asked if on cue. "You look kind of sick. Do you want a glass of water or something? Because I can get you a glass of water. Do you feel like you're going to barf? If you do then get yourself to the bathroom or something, because that is just nasty!"

"Yes, I am sick of something!" I exclaimed heatedly. "Sick of y-"

"Okay girls," Mom interrupted me as she poked her head around the corner. "I'm officially off duty, so if you need anything, you're going to have to get it yourself. I'm heading on up to watch the news in my bedroom. Try not to make too much noise."

Once she was gone Ella turned around and said hurriedly, "Maybe we should do something else now?"

Huh, I guess the smart cookie had finally realized I was about ready to knock her little overly talkative friend out.

"Ooh, yeah! Let's play a game! Oh, I just have the most wonderfully fantabulous game we can play. It's, like, perfect!" Monique insisted, clapping her hands together like Ella had.

"What?" I inquired tiredly, knowing I was going to regret asking.

"Truth or Dare!"

"I'm out," I stated simply, shoving myself off of the coach and making my way to the stairs. It was late, I was tired and there was no way I was sticking around to play such a girly game with my fourteen year old sister and her friend who was obviously on _something_.

"Ah come on Max! It'll be fun."

"Yeah, fun," Ella agreed uncertainly.

"Do you know how cliche Truth or Dare is? Who even plays that at slumber parties anymore anyway? Besides, this is _not _my sleepover, therefore I should be able to leave without being _followed _whenever I want!"

Okay, I admit I was in a pretty crabby mood, so I was probably being a _bit _more pointed and harsh than I needed to be . . . but the two of them needed to take a hint! I did _not _want to play any of their silly little games.

"Fine!" Monique called after me. "We won't play Truth or Dare. We'll play Truth or Eat!"

The mention of eating piqued my curiosity, enough so for me to turn around slowly with one eyebrow raised in question. "I'm listening," I said calculatingly.

"It's a lot like Truth or Dare except, well, different. You make up a nasty concoction of food and condiments, and then ask a question. The person can either answer or eat the slop," she explained.

"That's not going to work! Max'll eat anything," Ella complained with a huff. "She'll have an unfair advantage over us!"

"So? It'll still be fun," Monique insisted while I tried to creep away without being noticed.

It didn't work.

"Hey!" Ella exclaimed.

"Where do you think you're going!?" Monique demanded. The two of them wore matching stances as they stood side by side, hands on their hips.

"Well I was thinking maybe I would go lay down while you two sorted out your little dispute _without _me as a witness," I said plaintively, still trying to edge away as quickly as possible.

"Trying to escape, were you Max? Do I detect a . . . _chicken_?" Monique asked coyly, somehow knowing the exact thing to say to set me off. Nobody called me a chicken. I wasn't afraid of anything!

Besides, I never backed down from a challenge, and this was clearly one.

"Of course not!" I scoffed, crossing my arms over my chest and glaring menacingly at her.

"Then what's the problem? Afraid you're not going to be able to stomach it?" she questioned teasingly.

"Like Ella said, I can eat anything. Serve me a nice grilled desert rat and I'll be fine, even though a steak is greatly more enjoyable."

"With that I must agree," she said thoughtfully. It was also one of the shortest sentences she had uttered all night.

"Are we going to play or not!?" Ella cried in exasperation, putting her head in her hands. I could see that she was verging on passing out by the way her head lulled from side to side and her eyelids fluttered shut every second or so, staying that way a little longer every time.

"Well Max, what say you? Will you accept my offer, or run away with your tail stuck between your legs?"

"I don't run away from things Monique, you'll understand that soon enough. I charge them head on," I muttered in a deadly tone.

"Great!" she exclaimed, clapping her hands together in excitement. She turned from menacing thirteen year old, to her usual happy-go-lucky self. "Let the games begin! I know this is going to be so fun. Trust me, you guys are going to love this game. I used to play it back home all the time, and my friends all adored it. It's much better than getting dared to go streaking through the neighborhood or something like that. That's just embarrassing! I remember this one time-!"

Now by this point I'm thinking maybe dying might not be so bad. Say, death by chocolate, for instance. That I wouldn't mind. Death by chatterbox on the other hand . . . ? Well, let's just say it sounds far less delicious.

**Authors Note: Hehe, I love that last line! Anyway, REVIEW!**


	16. Memoirs of the Lost and Forgotten

**Authors Note: Okay, I lied. I guess I don't have a volleyball tournament this weekend. So here's your update!**

_**Chapter Sixteen**_

**- Memoirs of the Lost and Forgotten -**

**One Year Later . . .**

I hated the fact that school had to start again. I hated having to leave my perfect summer behind. I hated knowing Cam had to resume his faulty friendship with the Becks, and our companionship would be reduced to secrecy.

I think maybe sometime during our break from school I had convinced myself that he cared enough to drop all pretenses. Instead I would get to watch him mooch on his disgustingly pretty girlfriend while I sat across the room . . . isolated and alone. He was my best friend . . .

But only part of the time.

"Are you ready to go back?" he had asked me the night before classes began.

"Of course not!" I had said, scoffing.

"Why?"

"Multiple reasons," I had muttered, not wanting to admit I was sad that I was going to lose him.

"Surprisingly enough, I'm glad we're going back."

"Why? Because you get to spend all your time with _Mallory_?" I asked bitterly, turning my face away so he couldn't see the look of anguish that had crossed it.

"Don't."

"Don't what?" I asked crossly

"I'm not in the mood to listen to you complain about her Max."

"Excuse me!? I'm not the one who-" I had begun to say, when Cam's cellphone began to chirp. I recognized the sound . . . It was Mallory, forever compulsively texting him.

"I have to go," said Cam, already slinging his jacket on; halfway to the door.

"Wait! Where are you-"

"It's important, alright? Just relax! I'll talk to you later . . ." and then he was gone.

Now a month into my Junior year, he hadn't been around at all. Not one call, or even a simple nod of hello when nobody was looking. He stopped dropping by my house in the afternoons completely. There was absolutely no contact what so ever.

Jerk, much?

It was hard to think about him like that, knowing him the way I did. He was a jerk everywhere but when it was just us. I knew him on a level that the others didn't. Alison tried to cheer me up, and so did James; but they couldn't possibly understand. They just didn't _know him_! Not for who he really was at least.

"Max, come on! Just forget about him already," James complained, shaking my shoulder roughly. It still amazed me just the tiniest bit that he could do so many things with such great accuracy, but for the most part I was used to it by now.

"What are you talking about?" I asked, realizing I had zoned out without consciously meaning to do so. I mean, it happened before a lot. It was a part of who I was . . . but lately it had been popping up more frequently, and my thoughts were always on the same person.

"Oh, please! It's so obvious when you're thinking about him," Alison agreed, putting down her book while glaring plaintively at me.

We had set ourselves up in that same corner of the library where Alison and I had studied that day last year. It had sort of become our spot ever since then. We went there during Study Hall and after school sometimes too, because we never really had anything better to do. You'd think living just outside Manhattan, your life would never be boring . . . but in assuming that, you would be wrong.

Mom usually worked late, and just like I had predicted, Ella had a whole gaggle of friends she spent the majority of her time with. If I went home, I'd more than likely be alone.

Alison was an only child, but her parents were constantly bickering of the late. She was worried that they were on the verge of a divorce, which didn't seem that weird to me. Her mom was just like her, happy-go-lucky and the like, but her dad was this real uptight dude with a serious attitude, and toupee, problem. That being said, Al didn't really like spending time at her divided home anymore.

And then there was Jamie. He had been raised by a young, single mother. She was really pretty too. Only in her early thirties with strawberry blonde hair just like James and striking blue eyes. If she wanted to, there was no doubt in anyones mind that she could pursue modeling. Instead she worked one full time job, and two part-time jobs, just so she could provide for James and herself. She wasn't really around that much because of it, but James didn't seem to resent her for it.

Yeah, talk about a group of kids with dysfunctional families.

"I was not!" I exclaimed hotly, even though it wasn't the truth.

"Max, you have a 'Cam' look," James insisted.

"How would you know!?" I cried. "You can't even see!"

James sniffed, saying; "I find that offensive."

"Sure you do," I replied reproachfully, returning to my math homework.

Stupid numbers.

"Although a don't really know how he figured that out," Alison said slowly, "he's right. Your eyes narrow like your mad, but you frown like you're sad."

_That's because those are the damn emotions he brings out of me_, I wanted to say, but I remained tight lipped; instead opting to shrug my shoulders. No need to give them the satisfaction by telling them I knew exactly what they were talking about.

Why couldn't they just let me wallow in my self pity?

Suddenly I shot to my feet, shoving my things in my bag quickly. All I knew was that I felt this overwhelming urge to be free from this confining building. The shelves of books around me leered, seeming to close in. My claustrophobia began tickling at the back of my mind, and I wordlessly began hurrying away. For the first time in a long time I felt the need to _fly_.

"Max!" Alison shouted after me in confusion, but I just kept going.

I needed to get out . . . needed to get away from this all . . . needed to be free . . . needed to fly . . .

**- }{ -**

I probably looked like any other nondescript, huddled form walking aimlessly down the cracked and crumbling sidewalk, but in reality there was a war being raged inside my mind. I had gotten so close to Cam, and Alison and James had become good friends of mine as well. Heck, I even liked having Monique around now that I had gotten used to her constant chatter. It was with these relations, along with Ari, that some of my homesickness had ebbed, and I started seeing my life in New York in a new light. Maybe it wouldn't be so bad after all . . .

But back there in the library, in that one instant, all my feelings had changed drastically. Every last bit of optimism that I had managed to concoct had vanished completely. I didn't just _want _to go home . . .

I _needed _to go home.

It was a physical desire now. The need didn't just ache in my heart, but everywhere else too. Not for the first time did I feel an immense pain wracking my body. There was something huge missing in my life; some chunk of information that I had lost in the accident. All I knew for sure was that without it, I wasn't whole. I wasn't really myself. I wasn't to my maximum potential.

Over the course of the few years I had lived since the accident, I had gradually began to accept that I wasn't going to be getting my memory back. It was inevitable. I knew it. The doctors knew it too, but they kept up their optimistic facade; trying to instill some hope in me. I was a lost cause from the very beginning though. Whatever I was missing, it was going to stay that way, because my mind was a trap that had already been cleared away. Everything was foreign to me. Everything was innaccessible. Somewhere, at some point, someone had decided that I didn't deserve to know my past, and they had stolen every bit of it from me. It was all simply memoirs to them now . . .

Memoirs of the lost and forgotten.

Above me the heavens opened up, and the tears of the angels lashed down in a heavy torrent. It was like they could feel my pain . . . and so they wept. They were grief stricken by my current torment . . . and it wasn't like I was ungrateful or anything, but they were kind of getting me soaked.

I pulled the hood of my jacket up over my head, glancing around to find some dry refuge. My eyes alighted on a building across the street and I scurried over while there was a lull in the stream of cars. I clambered up the steps quickly, pounding insistently on the door. While I waited I crossed my arms over my chest and shivered, looking down at the dreary and lifeless potted plant on the stone porch.

To the right of the door one of the cream colored curtains rose just high enough for there to be a big enough crevice for a pair of twinkling green eyes to peek out, and when they caught sight of me looking, the window covering snapped back in place. A few seconds later the door creaked open to reveal a short, middle-aged women with a kind face. She beckoned me quickly inside, muttering, "Dear child, if you stand out there any longer you're bound to catch a cold! What a shame that would be."

"Uh, hi," I said breathlessly, trying to keep up with her bustling form as she stripped me of my jacket without asking me once for my consent. "Um . . . I- I'm Max," I stuttered, unsure of why I did so.

"Max?" she asked in interest, peering at me more closely as she finally slowed down. "You mean Ari's Max?"

I laughed, nodding my head. "That would be me."

"Why, it's a pleasure to meet you darling. I've heard so much about you from little Arthur!"

"Good things, I hope," I said uneasily, not because I was actually worried about what he had said, but because the ladies piercing eyes were boring a hole into my own . . . and it was kind of, dare I say it, endearing. Almost like she was giving me a challenge.

"Oh, he hasn't said one negative thing about you, sweetie pie."

There was an awkward silence then, and after a moment I couldn't really stand it anymore so I said; "Is Ari around?"

"Yes, I believe so. He should be in his room. He spends most of his time there, when he's actually here. The boy he shared it with was adopted last week . . . and I'm afraid it hit him kind of hard. Have you talked to him recently?"

Now I felt bad, because I hadn't seen him at all the past week.

"Well he's just down that side hall. I'll be serving dinner soon, and you're welcome to stay if you'd like," she offered.

I nodded, knowing that I would probably leave despite how kind she seemed.

"Thank you, Mrs. . . .?" I trailed off.

"Goldie, just call me Goldie," she replied pleasantly, giving me a wide grin.

"Well uh, thanks Goldie."

After that she shooed me away, and I went in search of Ari. There was a staircase beside the hall Goldie had pointed to, and I saw a few anxious pairs of eyes peering over the edge at me. I waved and smiled, but was interrupted by a familiar voice.

"Max?" Ari asked, materializing from God knows where.

"Oh, hey Ari!" I greeted him, grinning.

"What are you doing here?" he inquired, sounding disgruntled. "I thought I told you not to come!"

"Geesh, relax kid! I was just taking a walk and it started to pour outside, and this was the closest place I could find. I didn't really think you'd mind seeing me much. You haven't come to my house in awhile. If you want me to leave I can go . . ."

"No!" he exclaimed suddenly. "I mean . . . since you're here, you might as well stay."

I laughed, replying; "I thought you might say that."

"Just don't talk to anybody!" Ari insisted, grabbing my hand and pulling me down the hall.

I was ready to argue with him, when I remembered what Goldie had said about his roommate being adopted. I couldn't even begin to imagine what that must feel like, seeing someone you know getting a new home while you're left behind. For today, I would humor him and his crazy possessiveness of me.

"Are you going to show me your room or what, kid?" I demanded playfully, squeezing his hand.

But that just reminded me of his conversation about our future love that had passed between him and . . . Cam. Which of course, made me frown without my thinking about it clearly.

"Actually, there's something else I want to show you," he insisted, smiling widely.

Oh, this ought to be good.

"Really? What is it?"

"I can't tell you! It's going to be a surprise."

"But can't you at least give me a clue?" I whined jokingly.

"All I'll say is that I want you to meet two people . . . two new . . . friends."

_Friends?_

**Authors Note: Ooh . . . cliffhanger? Yes . . . no? Whelp, REVIEW please!**


	17. Broken Hearts Mend    Eventually

**Authors Note: I know some were a bit wary about the big time skip, but it's necessary for something that happens later, I promise.**

_**Chapter Seventeen**_

**- Broken Hearts Mend . . . Eventually -**

_Friends?_

_Ari?_

_Impossible!_

Now that was something I'd never thought I'd hear. According to him, he didn't like any of the children in the orphanage. I hadn't realized I said this out loud, though, until he spoke up in reply.

"They're new. They just got here a few days ago, and they look just like me! Well, not exactly . . . but they both have blonde hair and blue eyes, except theirs is curly and mine is straight. But other than that we could all be siblings!"

"That's . . . great," I said uncertainly, because I was afraid he was getting the wrong idea about the two kids.

"Yeah; and I like them so much, that I _want _them to meet you!"

After that being said, he grabbed my hand and lugged me forwards. I glanced up again at the mysterious, peering orbs at the top of the stairs. There was a familiar pair of green ones among them, which belonged to whoever had peeped out the window at me. When they saw me looking again, they ducked under the railing and I could faintly hear them scurrying away.

Cute.

We continued down the hall, swerving around a corner. When we came to the end of the corridor Ari stopped at a door that had the name _Carter and Angela _printed in neat handwriting, with a few pictures taped to it as well. It looked like a child's hand; with all the stick figures and nonsensical scribbles. Ari knocked politely, and the door was shoved open almost instantly. A bundle of golden curls tumbled out.

"Hi!" an ecstatic voice cried, and I looked down to see an angelic little girl standing at my feet. Her blonde hair fell in cascading ringlets down her back, and she was adorned with a plastic tiara and a pink ballerina tutu. That and the fact that she looked _extremely _familiar, just like Cam . . . and Monique . . . and James too.

I seriously needed to get a grip on myself! I needed to quit going around and finding familiarities in every single new person I meet. I'm sure this girl just reminded me of some other blonde haired, blue eyed child star I had seen on TV sometime.

Yeah, that was it.

"Uh, hi," I muttered, though I couldn't help the tender smile from appearing on my face.

"I'm Angel. My real names Angela, but everyone calls me Angel," she said proudly. "Who are you?"

"It's nice to meet you Angel . . . I'm Max."

"I like that name; Max. I want to be just like you when I grow up!" she announced automatically, grinning with her two perfect rows of shiny white teeth. How . . . cute.

"I'd think that one through a little bit more if I was you kid." I laughed.

Her golden brow furrowed for a moment in confusion, but then she just shrugged and smiled up at me again before whirling around and skipping happily back into her bedroom. When she looked back and saw that I had not followed she motioned for me to come forward. I hesitantly stepped into the room, Ari trailing behind me.

The room was kind of small; only big enough for two beds pushed to opposite sides of the room, a tall dresser and a trunk that was definitely _not _filled to brim with toys. The walls were painted a drab cream color. The only signs of individuality was in the many pictures taped around the room, mostly on the left side where I assumed Angel slept. On the other bed a young boy sat, maybe around ten, his head bent in concentration over some contraption. When he looked up and caught sight of me he gasped in surprise, quickly shoving whatever he had been working on under his pillow. I raised an eyebrow, but decided it wasn't really my place to comment on his strange behavior.

"And who might this dapper young fellow be?" I inquired.

"I'm Carter," he replied, sounding suspicious.

"He's my brother!" Angel piped up in excitement, bouncing up and down on her bed. There was a scruffy looking teddy-bear stuffed into the crook of her arm, with a tiny halo and angel wings.

"And this is Celeste," she said, holding out her bear for me to see.

"It's a pleasure to meet you Celeste," I greeted it, even going as far as to shaking its little paw, which made Angel giggle.

"So what'cha working on there Carter?" I asked after a moment, pointing to the slight bulge underneath his pillow where I knew his invention of some sort was hidden.

"Uh . . . nothing, it's nothing," he said quickly, sliding over on his bed so I couldn't see past him.

"You're acting very suspicious," I commented.

"Carter likes to build things," Ari offered, plopping down beside him.

"You want to be an inventor, huh?"

"No," Carter said simply, shaking his head in exasperation.

"Oh . . . well, what kinds of things do you build?"

"Stuff."

I snorted in disbelief, rolling my eyes. "No, _really_? What _kind _of stuff?"

"Explosives."

"_What_!?" I exclaimed, my eyes bulging.

"You know, bombs. Things that go 'BOOM'!" As he said this an excited look got in his eyes, and right beside it there was a slightly mischievous glint. Oh God . . . It was like a miniature James!

"You know," I said slowly, "I have a friend that's interested in that stuff too. He tampers with those things all the time. I bet I can ask him to swing by sometime, and you two can experiment together. He's always complaining about not having an assistant."

Okay, what was wrong with me? I was suggesting to a ten year old boy that he go and play with potentially harmful substances along with my wacky, _blind _friend. Oh, did I already mention James was _blind _and that Carter was _ten_!?

Not a good match, let me tell you.

"Really?" Carter asked, and I took back all my negative, worrisome thoughts in an instance. He just looked so jubilant. How could I bear to take that kind of happiness away from an _orphan_?

"Sure, I'll ask him about it."

What did I just get myself into!?

"Thanks Max," he murmured shyly.

"What about me!? What are you going to do for me?" Angel demanded, and I looked over at her in confusion.

Um . . . _okay_?

"Uh . . . I'm sure my sister and her friend wouldn't mind giving you a makeover or something sometime," I replied.

"Yay!" she exclaimed, clapping her tiny palms together, and just like that she had transformed from this miniature menacing figure, to an angelic . . . uh, angel? Don't you just love my way with words?

Not.

But, oh brother! The last thing I needed was another kid with major mood swings on my hands. I thought maybe Ari was enough for one sixteen year old, but apparently I get stuck with two. Oh joyous occasion!

Um, I don't think so!

All I knew for sure was that I definitely had my work cut out for me with these ones. A half man, half child with the name Ari, a possible pyromaniac explosives expert that goes by Carter, and an extremely likely angelic demon who is all Angel.

_Great._

(I hope the sarcasm in the above statement was dully noted.)

**- }{ -**

After spending an entire afternoon with those kids, I could determine one definite thing.

They . . . were . . . _adorable_!

I mean, I used to think Ari was cute when he was actually acting like a kid, but that Angel? Oh my gosh! And then there was Carter, trying to act all serious and grown up, but failing miserably most of the time.

Like I said before, adorable!

"Hey Max," Ella called from the foyer, before coming into my line of vision where I was dutifully positioned in front of the TV.

"Mhm?" I asked distractedly, wholly focused on the moving pictures before me.

"I'm walking over to Monique's house, alright?"

"Sure, go ahead," I murmured, and then a commercial flicked on and her words were able to set in all the way. I found myself on my feet, chasing after her, yelling, "Ella wait!"

"What?" she inquired in confusion, her hand resting on the doorknob.

"You can't walk to Monique's by yourself!" I insisted.

"Come on Max!" Ella whined. "I'll be back before Mom gets home."

"Not if your lying dead on the side of the road somewhere," I replied.

"Oh, please-" Ella began with a roll of her eyes.

"Get a ride, or you're not going," I stated firmly before turning around and plopping down on the couch once more. I heard her grumbling to herself all the way up the stairs.

Serves her right.

I mean what did she really expect? That I was actually going to let her go? Sure, she knew me well enough to ask while I was focused on something else, but she hadn't factored those stupid commercials in. So ha on her!

Wait, what? Dang, spending all my time with those kids has made me a bit childish myself.

My thoughts were interrupted by a hesitant knocking on the door. For a moment I thought maybe it was Ari and the others, already back to see me even though I had just left a scant half hour ago . . . but when I opened the door, I couldn't help but gasp in shock at who was there.

"Cam!?" I exclaimed without meaning to, not being able to stop the surprise from registering all over my features.

"Uh, hi Max," he greeted me awkwardly, his hands shoved into his front pockets and his head ducked down so I couldn't see his face.

"What do you want?" I asked acidly, remembering the hell he had put me through for the past month.

"I guess I deserve that," was all he said in reply.

"You deserve so much more than that," I stated calmly, finally able to rid my voice of any emotion.

"I can't argue with that, sadly."

"Was there something you wanted exactly?" I managed to say, but just looking at him was a strain.

"Yeah," he said. "To apologize."

I laughed bitterly, shaking my head sadly. "Why would you do that?"

"Look, I know you're mad at me. I understand that . . . but Mallory and the others were getting suspicious. They kept asking me questions about where I disappear to all the time. Mallory thought I was cheating on her . . . and it just go too messy. I figured if I let things calm down a bit, maybe they'd forget," he explained.

"And did the thought that maybe you should have, I don't know, _told me _about your little plan ever cross your mind!?" I demanded.

"And can you honestly stand there and tell me that you would have accepted it and backed off without a complaint?"

He had me there, and he knew it too. It just proved even more how well he knew me . . . how close we had become in just the seemingly short amount of time we had spent together.

Crap.

"And so now what? I'm just supposed to forgive you and everything will go back to normal?" I inquired harshly.

"I was kind of hoping so," he muttered, but he didn't sound as matter of fact as he had earlier.

"No."

I turned my back and began closing the door behind me, but his hand shot out and gripped the edge, wrenching it back and making it impossible for me to escape. My eyes blazed as I whirled around to face him once more.

"What are you trying to say? That you don't want to be friends anymore?"

"What gave you a clue? The part where I said 'no' . . . or when I almost slammed the door in your face?" I inquired snidely.

"You can't be serious," he cried incredulously.

"I've never been more serious in my life; deadly so in fact."

"Why are you doing this?" he whispered, and there was an emotion I couldn't identify flashing in his dark eyes.

"Because I'm tired of it, Cam . . . so beyond _sick _of it," I murmured crushingly.

"You're my best friend, Max. I thought I was yours too," he insisted.

"No. You're wrong on both accounts, okay? Because best friends are two people that are there for each other twenty four seven, whenever the other needs them. Their friendship isn't based around an agenda . . . and I'm tired of only being allowed to be your friend when _you _say it's okay," I shouted, not being able to contain myself any longer.

"Is that what you really think?" he asked haltingly, as if he was still trying to process my claim.

"It's what I know."

"Then maybe you're right, maybe we shouldn't be friends."

"I always am."

"Good bye Max," he hissed, and I could hear the venom creeping into his voice . . . Oh, and then his eyes; those beautiful, captivating, midnight eyes slowly iced over with a bone-chilling hostility that had me backing away in fright.

"Good bye Cam," I whispered, but it was only empty air that I was speaking too . . .

Because he was gone.

**Authors Note: And the remaining Flock members are introduced, which most of you had guessed already . . . plus that thing with Cam . . . so yeah, review and tell me what you thought about that! **


	18. Moving On

**Authors Note: Sorry I haven't updated in awhile. My stepsisters were down, and I didn't have a lot of time on the computer.**

_**Chapter Eighteen**_

**- Moving On -**

I. Hate. Him.

It was as simple as that. There was absolutely no complexity to it what so ever. I had every reason in the world to despise the very mention of his name . . . so why was it so hard to let it all go?

James and Alison noticed that I was acting stranger than before, but with one glare from me after attempting to broach the subject, all their questions were silenced. Hopefully, they would never be visited again. Ella had enough smarts to leave the matter alone as well, and I'm sure she must have mentioned it to Monique too, because whenever she came around me, she was surprisingly quiet. Then of course, Ari, Carter and Angel were just too young to understand that anything was amiss.

But things _were _amiss.

I felt like my life was tumbling haywire, a straight shot over the edge. I had hit rock bottom and then tunneled my way even deeper. My grades were slipping because my attention was constantly wandering. The smallest things irritated me to no end, to the point where I stopped hanging around anyone period. I always had this intense, thrumming headache and the loudness of the city and the closeness of the people didn't help one bit.

I needed to get out; somewhere far, far away from here.

Who would have ever thought that my father, the one who had abandoned me with no hope for survival- only to jump into the picture mysteriously later on when it seemed like maybe I had some promise, would be the brilliant answer to all my problems?

_Dear Max_, he had written customarily, always so stiff and proper.

_I hope you are doing well, which I am sure can be confirmed. I realized that I seldom sit down to write to you, and decided that it might be best if I did so more frequently. Thus being said, I would like to extend to you the same offer of hospitality I do every time; and that is to wish for you to visit me at my humble abode. It would be with utmost pleasure that I receive your company after so long a time._

_Most likely though, you will continue to ignore my very existence, which I do not blame you for in any way. I realize that I have not, under any circumstances, been the father to you that I should have been. I apologize for that, and you cannot begin to imagine how deeply sorrowful I truly am. The past, however, is the past; and it is with a great amount of voracity that I insist upon the chance to make up for my former wrongdoings._

_I know that in your eyes I may not deserve to be forgiven, but I ask all the same. _

_With Love,_

_Daddy_; which was signed with a flourish.

My first thoughts upon reading this were varying degrees of enthusiasm. What came to my mind automatically was- _Oh, please _. . . but then I mulled his preposition over again, actually allowing myself to spare it a second thought, and I came to see what an amazing thing it really was.

An escape; immediate and effective.

I sat down and took out a clean sheet of paper and I poised a pen on the top line. For the first time I would write to my father . . .

**- }{ -**

My decision wasn't one that was hard to make, and so I knew that in order to ensure that I would go through with it, I would need to call for an audience amongst all my family and friends.

Normally when Max sets her mind to something, Max sees it through. For some reason though, this was just . . . different. My resolve was shaky at best, and I somehow thought that by announcing my plans, they would be more official.

More tangible.

That was why I was standing at the front of the room, while everyone I loved in the entire universe was squished onto our tiny couch, James standing at the back with his hands crossed in front of him.

"So you're probably all really confused as to why I called you here," I started, taking a deep breath as I did.

Slowly my gaze traveled across each of their faces . . .

My mom; Valencia Martinez. A single mother and a lover of animals. She had made so many sacrifices for Ella and I. How could I honestly do this to her? How could I turn my back on the most caring person I knew? She was strong -so strong- and I never thought I'd be the one to cripple her.

My sister; Ella. She and I had been in that car together when the accident occurred. They said that when the paramedics arrived, we were in the backseat, our hands clasped tightly together. She was one of the only blood relatives I had, and I would do anything to make sure she was happy. Yet here I was, about to crush all her joy.

Then there was Alison, who was my first friend in this wild Concrete Jungle. It was so hard to dampen her spirits, but I was going to do it . . . And James, who was a mad, crazy fool who must have a death wish by the way he plays with those bombs. Carter and Angel, who I had come to think of as children of my own, in a way. Monique, who could talk your ear off in less than five minutes, but had a heart of pure gold. Lastly, there was Ari, who I was about to abandon for my own selfish needs.

These were all the faces of those that I loved; my true family in every aspect . . . but there was someone missing . . . there would always be someone missing.

"I'm not going to come up with this elaborate explanation that will make the news seem less harsh, because that's not the way I am. I'm going to give it to you clean and straight."

"Max, what's going on?" My mom demanded, and I could hear the worry creeping into her voice.

"I'm leaving," I said calmly. "I'm going to live with Dad."

All hell broke loose on my little family then.

Alison shrieked, and I could see the tears sprouting in her eyes. James pushed himself off the wall, shouting angry exclamations at me. My mom was frozen, her eyes wide in shock. Ella was screaming at me too, and the three younger kids were looking around in confusion, unsure of what my words meant.

"What do you mean, you're going to live with your dad!" Ella yelled viciously, once everyone had quieted down a bit.

"I mean exactly what I said," I replied softly.

"But-but . . . you _hate _him!" she insisted.

"That's true, but I hate it here even more."

"Max . . ." Mom whispered.

"I'm sorry, Mom . . . I'm sorry to everybody, but I just can't do it anymore. I tried to act happy. I tried to act like I could adjust, and for a little while I was. You guys made it possible! But lately . . . I just can't," I murmured, utterly defeated.

"You can't go Max! I won't let you," Ella exclaimed harshly.

"We're not talking about it anymore. The matter is closed. The decisions already been made. I talked to Jeb, and we worked out a plan. I leave next Friday," I informed them, and with a heavy sigh and an even heavier heart, I dropped my shoulders and slipped out of the room.

For the first time the thought that maybe this wasn't the right thing to do occurred to me, but I shook it off.

I needed this.

**- }{ -**

I was walking home that day, just minding my own business when I rounded The Corner, where I now realized everything happens, and ran headlong into a fast moving black object.

I was thrown backwards off my feet, my bag tearing at the bottom. I watched in despair as all my books tumbled to the ground, scattering across the concrete. With a low curse I bent to gather them.

"Thanks a lot," I spat to whoever had plowed me over.

"You're welcome," a familiar voice replied, sounding amused.

I froze, moving my head slowly to gaze upwards.

"Oh, it's you," I said stupidly as I glared at Cam.

"I didn't mean to knock you over like that," he stated, and I could tell he wasn't lying.

"Yeah, well I guess it doesn't really matter now," I muttered as I picked the last of my fallen objects up.

We just stood there then, staring at each other. It didn't seem like he had anything to say to me, and though I could probably think of a few choice words for him, I figured now really wouldn't be the best time to get into it.

"How have you been?" he asked after a moment, and I narrowed my eyes suspiciously.

"Just peachy," I said sarcastically.

He sighed, rolling his eyes. "I'm trying to be nice here, Max."

"Oh . . ." I said like a genius. "Well in that case . . . uh . . . did you hear the good news?"

"What good news?"

"I'm finally leaving New York. I'm going to live with Je-my dad," I informed him, grinning broadly.

Normally Cam is Mr. Cool, Calm and Collected . . . but as soon as I uttered those words his eyes widened and he looked immensely shocked; more so than I've ever seen him before. I didn't even think he was capable of so much emotion.

"Wh-_what_?" he stuttered incredulously.

Another thing; Cam didn't stutter.

"Yeah, it's great, huh? I'm leaving Friday," I explained as I began walking away. I brushed past his shoulder and said, "I've got to run. I'll see you . . . never, I guess."

My heart throbbed at the mention of something like that, but I continued on. After all, it wasn't as if he actually cared . . .

**- }{ -**

I had taken care of all my emotional good-byes beforehand. No need to make a scene in the middle of the airport. I hugged my mom and Ella one last time at the entrance, refusing to allow them to accompany me any further.

It was hard enough already.

I sat in the waiting area for what seemed like forever. Finally though, the call for my plane resounded across the system. It made me shudder to hear such a happy voice. This was not a fun occasion!

Still, I wasn't about to change my mind. I hefted my carry-on bag, complete with a few books and other items to keep my occupied, a scrapbook Alison and Monique had made for me as a good bye gift, and a book all about bombs that James and Carter had placed in my care. I promised to treasure each thing dearly. After all, it was all I would have of them for a _long _time.

I was just about to enter the terminal when I thought I faintly heard someone shouting my name. I turned around, my head whipping back and forth to find the source. After not seeing anything I shook my head sadly and resumed my previous engagement.

"_MAX_! Max, wait!"

There it was again! And this time it was unmistakable.

"_Max_!"

"_Cam_?" I inquired incredulously as I watched him weave his way through the crowd. Once he had broke through most of the people he hit the ground running.

"Max," he breathed when he came to a halt in front of me, gripping my arms to prevent me from leaving.

"What are you doing here!" I demanded.

"You can't leave."

"What- What are you talking about?"

"I know that I was a real jerk to you, and I'm _sorry _for that. I pretended to not understand what you meant that day, but I did. It's why I always overreact. You get me Max, unlike anybody else. You point out the truth when I don't want to hear it, and that's what makes you my best friend."

"I . . . I don't-" I began.

"Look, we can work something out, okay? Just don't leave, because if you get on that plane I know you're going to regret it!"

"Cam . . . I just-" Once again, he cut me off.

"Don't leave. You can't," he insisted.

"I have to go," I whispered despairingly.

"_Please_."

"I can't go through that again."

"I'm begging you, Max."

"What's the point?"

"I need you to stay."

"You're just going to turn around and abandon me again."

"_I need you_."

"Maybe today, but what about tomorrow? What if you change your mind?" I cried.

"You have to trust me."

"How can I?" I inquired harshly. "After all that you've done . . . how can I?"

He seemed at a loss for words then, and so he wrapped his arms around my waist and pulled me against him in a tight embrace. I was frozen in shock, but slowly I began to unthaw. With jerky movements I hooked my arms around his neck and hugged him back.

"It was hell not being able to talk to you, but at least you were there. At least I could see that you were okay. If you leave, I'm not going to know . . . and I'm going to be worried sick. You'll drive me insane," he whispered hoarsely in my ear and for once, his voice was thick with emotion . . .

**Authors Note: What will she choose? REVIEW to find out! **


	19. Forever

**Authors Note: Here I am . . . updating . . . a day after I posted the last chapter . . . I'm good, right? I think I update pretty quickly anyway . . . and since I've got a lot of chapters already finished and waiting to be posted, quick updating will be my payment for SO many cliffhangers. Sound fair?**

_**Chapter Nineteen**_

**- Forever -**

What was I even supposed to do now! He just . . . ugh . . . and then he . . . ugh! How was he even able to stand there, hugging me like he did it every day. Cam is _not _the hugging type! And then his eyes . . . they were so . . . _different_.

Can you say mass confusion on my part?

"Please . . . please stay," he begged once last time.

Begging; that was new too.

I would be lying if I said he didn't actually care about my leaving or not. It was obvious that he was trying to convince me not to go with everything he had. He wasn't stopping for anything, and at that point I saw a side of him I had never seen before . . . and that's when I knew; that no matter how many times he hurt me I wouldn't be able to say no and leave _forever_.

"Come with me," I said suddenly, stepping out of his embrace. I opted to grab ahold of his hand, pulling him through the crowd of travelers.

"You're going to stay?" Cam asked, excitement obvious in his tone.

I stopped again, turning to face him with a wide grin. "Well, you haven't really given me much of a choice, have you?"

'Thank you, Max."

I just laughed and shook my head, shoving my way through the cluster of people, completely ignoring their shouts of complaint. Screw them! I had just made one of the biggest decisions in my life, and there was no way some petty person was going to bring me down off the high I was beginning to verge upon.

It was completely exhilarating, this feeling I had. That combined with the feel of Cam's hand in mine made out for a perfect state of bliss in my mind. There was no way that Cam and I would ever be as close as we were right at this moment, and so I knew I had to make the most of it while I could.

"Where are we going?" Cam inquired as we burst from the airport doors, spilling out onto the busy sidewalk.

"It's a surprise," I answered mischievously, grinning smugly to myself.

"Should I be worried?"

I rolled my eyes while saying, "Don't you trust me?"

"Do you want the brutal truth, or the lie?" he asked, all playfulness gone from his voice.

I came to a halt, whirling around to look at him with wide eyes. "Uh . . . the truth, always the truth; no matter how brutal it is."

"Okay then; I honestly trust you with my life," he stated simply.

Wow.

I was, admittedly, surprised. I mean, I had pretty much thought the same thing dozens of times before . . . but hearing him say it was an entirely different story. It was good to know that we were both on seemingly the same page. How long that balance would last however, I didn't know.

Forever, if I got my way . . . but when did that ever happen?

**- }{ -**

"This . . . is your big surprise?" Cam asked distastefully.

I glanced over at the building. Rundown as it may be, it still wasn't a total dump . . . and now that I knew the kinds of people it held, it had a certain charm to it I suppose. It was like it was bathed in a new light.

"Not everybody can live in a penthouse, Cam," I whispered.

"Well yeah, but still. I was kind of thinking something a bit more . . . interesting," he said awkwardly.

I gaped at him in disbelief, shaking my head and laughing bitterly.

"Look, I'm sorry if I offended you, but-"

"It's an orphanage Cam. You know, the place where underprivileged kids with no homes, no families, and no way to survive live. Sorry if it doesn't meet your higher standards, but we all can't be born into a wealthy home," I spat, wondering how he could go from the kindhearted, gentle person he had been back at the airport, to this snobbish, upper class jerk only ten minutes later.

"I'm sorry," he said quickly, "I didn't know."

"I don't even know why I brought you here. I just . . . I thought maybe since you wanted me to stay, that you had changed, but I guess not."

"No, let's just go in and do whatever it is you came to do. I'm done turning my nose up at things, I promise," he insisted.

"Okay then," I said slowly, still not entirely sure about my bringing him here, "follow me."

Without turning to see if he would do as I said, I bounded across the street, skipping up the steps happily. I pounded on the door a few times, and it flew open just as Cam reached my side.

"MAX!" Ari shouted with glee, only a blonde-ish blur as he shot from the doorway and into my waiting arms.

"Hey kiddo," I greeted him, ruffling his hair the way he pretends to hate, even though I know he secretly loves it.

"What are you doing back?"

"Let's just say my . . . consciousness got the better of me, and I realized how stupid I was being to leave such a great family behind," I replied, and I wasn't exactly lying either.

"Are you going to stay?" Ari demanded.

"How could I ever bear to leave?" I inquired softly.

"I'm so- what's he doing here!" Ari cried, noting for the first time the figure of Cam standing awkwardly behind me.

"You remember my friend Cam, right?"

"The one your mom told us all never to mention ever again?"

"Uh, yeah . . . that one," I replied, shooting Cam a quick glance over my shoulder. When he saw me looking he ducked his head in embarrassment, and even I was a little embarrassed; which is why it was crucial for me to change the subject, and fast. "Anyway . . . where's Angel and Carter?"

"They're in their room. Carter is trying to make himself busy with something him and James have been working on so he won't cry, but Angel didn't try to stop it at all."

I winced, frowning profusely. How could I have ever talked myself into this leaving thing? I was hurting the most important people in my life, and our relationships were so close knit that by this point their pain was my pain.

Without a word I set forward with a determined stride. After a moment of hesitation I heard Cam follow after me, and Ari skipped up to my side, taking ahold of my hand tightly in his smaller palm. There was a smug air about his actions, and out of the corner of my eye I saw him glaring at Cam. Oh, right . . . I had completely forgotten about our future romance.

As we walked along the halls doors were flung open every which way, and heads poked out, staring at us in amazement. Girls and boys from a range of ages and looks peered curiously at our little parade. Most of them had gotten used to my presence by now, but Cam was new. He was interesting.

Some of them were more daring, and they waved a bright hello, smiling with all their teeth. Ari opened his mouth to snap at them, but a tugged on his shoulder; shaking my head furiously. He got the point, and instead turned to pouting. 

"Don't be a baby," I muttered out of the side of my mouth. "Nobodies trying to steal me away. They're only coming out because there's a new person. The same thing happened with James when he came to see Carter."

After a few seconds he submitted to my logic, nodding his head sullenly.

By this point we had reached our destination, and I took a deep breath outside in the hall before I reached up and knocked on the hard, wooden door. There was a muffled response that sounded something like a welcome, and I pushed the door open softly, taking a tentative step into the room.

Carter was working furiously on some mechanism, his back turned to me. I could hear his breath hitching, but he was still trying to fight the tears. He was always my little trooper.

Angel was sprawled out on her bed, alternating between lying flat on her stomach to being curled up in a fetal position. I could hear her hiccuping as the fat teardrops fell in a torrent down her face.

"Hey guys," I greeted them softly.

Carter's hands stopped in midair, as if calculating whether he had really heard my voice or not. Even Angel had froze. Slowly, in a way that made them seem more like twins than just siblings, they turned around at the same exact time.

"Max?" Carter asked in a hushed tone, while Angel stared numbly at me, her face a blotchy red.

"Yeah, it's really me," I answered, giving them a small, wane smile.

Angel squealed in evident delight, bounding off of her bed. She raced across the tiny space between us, closing it in a few strides of her surprisingly long legs. With a shout of joy she entangled her skinny arms around my waist, squeezing as hard as she could. Carter did much the same.

And just like that, we were one big happy family again, but this time . . . Cam was included in the picture.

I looked over my shoulder to see him lounging against the door frame. He smiled crookedly when he caught my eye, and there was that same emotion I sometimes saw flash across his face, the one I could never quite decipher. One day I was going to figure it out, but for now I would have to be content with not knowing.

"Okay everybody. This was my first stop, so I think we might need to go tell my mom that I'm no longer leaving."

I'm thinking that everything will be _just fine_ . . .

For now.

**- }{ - **

"So tell me, what's up with you and Jamie these days?" I asked Alison curiously as she refilled our popcorn bowl.

After my near desertion, she had been adamant about spending more time together, and with her dad out of town and her mom visiting some relatives, it seemed like the perfect time to have some kind of get together. We had decided that calling it a sleepover would make it seem like we were thirteen year olds, no offense to Ella and Monique. Instead we settled on a 'movie night'.

There had been a lot of hugs, and a lot of celebrating when I made the choice to _not _go back to Arizona. To say my mom was happy would be an understatement. Try . . . ecstatic . . . and overjoyed. I don't think I'd ever seen her quite so thankful.

"What do you mean?" she inquired, reappearing with a heaping pile of buttery goodness.

"I mean your super mega-crush on him!"

"Oh . . . that," she replied uneasily.

"Oh God, what happened!" I demanded.

"Nothing happened," she said truthfully, plopping down on the coach beside me. I made a mad grab for the snacks, and she handed the bowl over to me after taking a handful for herself.

"Then why are you acting so weird about it?"

"I just . . . things changed, I guess."

"So you don't like him anymore?" I clarified.

"Don't look at me like that! It's not like I just woke up one morning and said, 'Oh! I'm not going to like James anymore!'. It was a long process, trust me," she insisted.

"Well what the hell happened to change your mind! And more importantly, how did I miss it?"

"I don't know really. I got to know him better, and we became friends and stuff . . ."

"And you don't want to ruin your friendship?" I guessed stupidly.

"No, I mean . . . Well, it's not like you couldn't have noticed, but he's kind of immature, right? That, and he's also an extremely sexist pig! I like Jamie as a friend and all, but not anything more. I guess it was my protective side coming out when all the kids were teasing him that made me feel attracted to him, but trust me- that's all over now."

Huh . . .

"Well that's just too bad for him, isn't it? He's missing out on great girl." I concluded.

Alison laughed, shaking her head thoughtfully.

"I'm sure some day he'll grow up . . . maybe then you can give it a go," I suggested.

"Maybe. Then again, he never seemed to show any interest in me. He just made a lot of sexist comments about other girls," she explained, growing somber.

"We just have to teach him how to be a good boy," I joked.

"Is that even possible?" She laughed.

I sighed dramatically. "Probably not."

We paused in conversation for awhile as the movie started. It was some chick flick Ella had suggested. Apparently it had been 'just the saddest thing ever!' and she had 'cried so hard that there were no more tears left'. I had refused to borrow it, but then she had dared me to watch it and not cry. Alison would now be my witness as I stayed strong through the entire thing.

Triumph would be mine!

"It's good to have you back Max," she said seriously.

"Back? When will you guys quit saying that!" I demanded, still smiling to show that even though I was slightly frustrated, I wasn't totally angry.

"What do you mean?"

"_I never left_."

**Authors Note: So Max didn't leave after all. I never actually planned for her to go either. I just wanted the threat to be there. It was a way to get Cam back into the picture. I know somebody said in their review, that there wouldn't be anything left to make a story with if she didn't go, but trust me, I've got plenty of things up my sleeve. Anyway, REVIEW please!**


	20. Dirty Little Secrets

**Authors Note: I feel . . . ugh . . . I just want summer to be here already! I hate this stupid rain, and stupid school, and stupid people who do stupid things. Anyone agree?**

_**Chapter Twenty**_

**- Dirty Little Secrets -**

Why did parents make their children go to school? Why didn't they just teach them everything they needed to know in the comfort of their own home, and _then _ship them off into the real world? Because quite frankly, I didn't see the point of such an establishment. Who actually liked to get up a five in the morning just to go sit in a boring old classroom all day?

Not Max.

Then there was also the thing where my luck kicked into overdrive and I ran into some problem or other that usually resulted in someone (most likely me) breaking someones (most likely Mallory's) nose. Now, that would have been a favorable outcome. Instead, I get her equally ridiculous sibling.

_Mason_.

"What do you want, idiot?" I scowled, turning to face him.

I guess I was actually the stupid one. Did we not already clarify that _everything _happened at The Corner? Yet I still insisted on walking to and from school every day, as if I really expected the Hollenbeck twins to never bother me ever again.

Uh, yeah right.

"Tsk, tsk my dear Max. That's no way to greet someone." 

Ugh, I shuddered. His voice gave me the heebie jeebies. It was so slick and . . . creepy. The thought of it made my skin crawl. It was like acidic poison to my brain, slowly creeping its way deeper and deeper.

"Maybe if you'd quit stalking me, I wouldn't have to be so rash," I spat back.

"Stalking you?" he balked. "Why, what makes you think you're so special as to deserve my undivided attention?"

"What makes _you _think _your _so special as to make other people feel special to deserve your attention?" I retorted.

Okay, _what_? That made absolutely no sense to me, and I was the one speaking it. However, it did seem to confuse him greatly, and I would take any chance to confuddle his pea sized brain.

With a slow shake of his head he continued on to say, "Look, my dear Max, I know we got off on the wrong foot. There's just something about you though, that's so . . . intoxicating. It's driving me crazy, not being able to just reach out and touch you."

As he said those words he raised his hand and trailed his fingertips lightly over my cheek, making me shudder in disgust. He mistook it for a shiver of pleasure though, because his grin widened.

"I knew you felt it too. We have something, something so incredibly amazing. From the moment I saw you I knew that I had to make you mine. My sister and her hatred for you is still an obstacle we have to overcome, but in time we'll make things right," he whispered lovingly, caressing my cheek again.

Um . . . _Ew_!

I swatted his hand away from my face, taking a giant step away from him. He flinched as if he had been slapped. Anger flared in his eyes, and he took a step towards me, reaching out and latching onto my forearm with a grip like iron.

"Cam isn't here to rescue you again. It's just you and me babe. This time, they'll be no more interruptions," he hissed, his lips coming into an uncomfortable proximity to mine.

"Get away from me you bastard!" I screamed, punching him in the gut; _hard_.

"Argh!" he shouted in pain, slamming my back into the wall harshly. I made an 'oofing' sound as he pressed me into the cold brick. The icy chill seeped into my light shirt, sending a shiver up my spine. The sky overhead clouded over with fat rainclouds, blocking out the sun entirely.

"You're not escaping this time, honey. You're all mine," he whispered tauntingly, bringing his face nearer again.

I spit into his eye, struggling with all my strength to get out of his embrace. He cursed again, rubbing his pupil with his shirt quickly, before he pinned me down once more. It was hopeless. I was a goner.

"_Mason_!" a voice thundered, but it didn't belong to who I thought it would.

Mason gasped, whipping his head around in shock. I tried to wriggle free, but he still kept a tight grip on my arms.

"Corbin?" Mason asked in disbelief.

I glanced over to see his tall, muscled frame. He was standing a few feet away, his hands clenched into fists much like Cam's had been. His blonde hair was being flung haywire by the wind, and his blue eyes were strong and piercing. Not as intimidating as Cam, but scary all the same.

"Let. Her. Go," he growled through gritted teeth.

"Corbin, go away! Can't you see I'm busy here!" Mason demanded, turning back to me with a wicked glint in his eye.

"I'm not going to ask you again, Mace. Let her go or-"

"Or what? What'll you do?"

Corbin didn't need to answer. He took two long strides over and wrapped one rippling, muscled arm around Mason's neck, and the other on his shoulder. With seemingly no effort he tugged Mason away from me, flipping him over so that he landed on his butt in a huge puddle at the side of the road.

Mason's eyes bulged like a flies, and the veins in his neck stood out in prominent contrast to the rest of his face.

"Are you alright?" Corbin asked me, and the concern in his voice was genuine. Still, I kept my eyes glued to Mason, worried he would get back up and charge once again.

"Uh . . . yeah, I'm fine," I muttered, shaking my head slowly.

"Come with me," Corbin announced after a moment of studying my face.

I finally looked up at him, confusion flashing in my eyes. "Huh?" I asked.

"My house is right down the street. I'll take you there until you've calmed down a bit."

Somewhere in the back of my mind there was a voice screaming at me not to trust him; to just say no and run for the hills. The more dominant part, however, just nodded numbly and trailed after him, leaving Mason soaking wet and fuming behind us.

**- }{ -**

"Thank you," I said suddenly, pulling the blanket Corbin had given me tighter around my body.

His house was pretty huge to say the least. Not exactly a penthouse, but it _was _the top three floors of some building. His parents, since he was an only child, let him have the whole top floor to himself.

Lucky much?

"Huh?" he asked, coming in from his kitchen (Yeah, he had is own kitchen!) with two steaming cups of hot chocolate.

"For helping me back there . . . I was kind of surprised," I admitted.

"Surprised? Why?"

"I mean . . . well, with what everyone says about you guys and how I've seen you act . . . you just . . . you just didn't seem like the type to go rescuing damsels in distress."

His face hardened and he said crossly, "We're not all like what they say."

I just stared at him mutely, willing him to go on.

With a sigh he continued; "We're different then what most people think, okay? Much different."

"Oh really?" I asked curiously. "Then please, tell me all the Becks dirty little secrets. I'm really just dying to know."

"Well . . . for starters, I'm obviously not a total D-bag, which is what most people think, right?"

I nodded in consent, biting my lower lip.

"I'm supposed to be the golden boy, alright? I have to get good grades, maintain a steady girlfriend, and excel at some sport. It's more of a struggle than anyone could imagine to keep that up."

"And what about Savanah?" I inquired in interest.

"Oh, one thing people automatically assume when they see her is that she's a total bimbo. She flunks about every test possible because she's too busy making sure her hair's okay and that her lipstick is applied evenly. Not true. She's probably the smartest person I know. She has to act like that though, because it's what is expected of her. Her mom rules her whole life," Corbin said bitterly.

"You really love her, don't you?" I questioned softly.

"I do . . . thankfully."

"Okay . . . well, what about Mason and Mallory?"

"I don't really know about them anymore. Mallory has always been the most self-centered of us all, and now that Savanah's graduating, even more so, because she knows she's going to rule the school. And then Mason has just been acting weird lately. He was always kind of masochistic, but it's gotten worse. I seriously think he's becoming unstable, and I don't understand why."

"And Cam? What about him?"

"Ah, the golden question. I wish I could tell you, but I honestly don't know. He's pretty much a mystery to us all. We all know he doesn't actually like being around any of us, but since he's a Beck, he stays."

"That's horrible," I whispered. "All of it, it's truly appalling,"

"Tell me about it."

"What I don't get though, is why you succumb to being the people your parents want you to be. Why not break free of the mold and please yourself for once?"

"We can't. It's a part of the legacy."

"The legacy?" I asked skeptically, one eyebrow raised.

"The Becks have been a part of New York since almost the very beginning. It's not just some coincidence that we pretty much rule the school. It's in our history . . . It's in our blood," he explained.

"I'm not sure I'm following you," I said truthfully.

"It all started when a group of friends, all with very similar last names, sort of formed a solid friendship. They always backed each other up, never letting another down. They helped out around the community, and pretty soon they become a household name. Generation after generation did the same, until they got a few bad eggs, and things began going down hill. The Becks turned from good, wholesome people to conniving, shallow hotheads. Our parents did the same thing we do, and their parents before us. It's not something you can just choose. I was born into the role."

"Well so what! Why can't this generation be the difference? You can go down into the Becks history as the ones who turned the legacy all around, returning it to what it should have been. What it was meant to be!" I exclaimed.

Corbin grew extremely thoughtful then, his brow furrowed in concentration. After at least five minutes of this he said, "I . . . I guess I never really thought about it like that."

"You should really take what I said seriously," I informed him as I came to my feet.

'Where are you going?" he asked in alarm.

"I have to get back to my house. My sister is probably worried sick. Thanks again, for helping me. I won't forget so soon, I promise . . . as long as you promise to do something about your 'role' in life."

Corbin grinned, nodding his head. That was when I realized that I had really made an impact. For once, I had opened my big mouth and someone had benefited from it . . .

Well, surprise, surprise.

"I guess I'll talk to you later then," he said, though it came out as more of a question.

"I'd be offended if you didn't."

At this point we made our way through the maze of rooms and stairways, until finally we boarded the main elevator that descended to the lobby. I waved once more in good bye before I slipped out into the dusk, a small smile present on my face the entire time.

**- }{ -**

I hurried down the street, sighing in relief when my house came into view. I started a bit when I saw a figure sitting on the bench out front, afraid that maybe it was Mason back for revenge. Then I saw the dark attire and black hair and I knew I was completely safe.

"Hey," I called out with a smile, plopping down beside Cam.

"Where have you been?" he inquired. "I've been waiting out here forever."

"Why didn't you go inside? Ella wouldn't have cared."

"Ella's over at Monique's house," he replied.

"Oh, that's right!" I said stupidly. "I forgot."

"Where have you been?" he repeated.

"Oh, nowhere really. Just making a difference in the world. You know, the usual."

He rolled his eyes, saying, "Such wit in such a person with so small a brain."

I punched him in the shoulder, growling, "You take that back."

"Never," he replied with a smirk. "Now really, where were you."

"Doing what I said before . . . and learning some people's dirty little secrets."

He groaned in frustration, shoving me a little. I kicked his leg in return, grinning up at him. He sighed and shook his head, giving me a dark look. In turn I raised an eyebrow in question.

"You'll be the death of me."

Now it was my turn to smirk

**Authors Note: Once again instead of Max kicking total butt she gets rescued . . . I know it doesn't seem very in character, but it needs to happen in order for other things to follow in succession. Make sense? Anyway, REVIEW PLEASE!**


	21. Impossible

**Authors Note: Sorry for not updating sooner. I had a volleyball tournament . . . And now before I drop dead of fatigue, I'll update.**

_**Chapter Twenty One**_

**- Impossible -**

_I was all stealth._

_Nothing in the world could stop me as I crept forward, my feet moving effortlessly across the slick, tiled halls. My every movement was like a whisper, almost impossible to discern. I slid here and there, crouching in the shadows every chance I had. I was like a ghost._

_Up ahead there was a door, open so that the slightest sliver of light could be seen creeping out; it's branchlike strands stretching as far as it could reach, grasping for a victim that it wouldn't receive. With my destination in clear sight my knees bent even further and my breath stilled to almost complete silence. I was so close to everything I needed. I didn't want to give it away at the last second._

_Locked inside that room would be drawer full upon drawer full of precious documents. Stacks of file cabinets containing numbers and secret codes. All that stuff I could figure out later. What I really needed was the valuable information it entailed about six certain specimens._

_This time I would succeed._

Or not, I thought as I jackknifed up in my bed, gasping for air. I shivered, grasping blindly in the dark for my blanket. At some point during the night I must have kicked it off the bed. Once I had finally located it, I wrapped myself up in a cocoon. Maybe, if I wished hard enough, and fell asleep fast enough, that dream would resume itself, and I could figure out what was on the other side of that door.

With a sigh my eyelids fluttered shut once more and I drifted away . . .

**- }{ -**

"Are you alright?" Alison asked worriedly, staring at me in concern.

"Huh?" I asked in confusion, unsure of what I was doing that would elicit such an emotion from her.

"You look kind of pale, and there are bags under your eyes. Did you not sleep well last night?"

"Oh, that . . . I just had a weird dream is all. I woke up a lot after that," I explained, thinking back to the strange activities I had been entertaining in my dream world. Things like it kept popping up when I fell asleep. There wasn't any pattern I could see, and they were never recurring. They all seemed to have a cryptic message though, something I knew I needed to figure out, but couldn't.

"Should I be worried?"

"No, I'm sure it's just . . . growing pains," I lied, even though I didn't actually believe she would buy it in the first place.

"Have you talked to your doctor about it at all?" she inquired after a moment of thought.

"You expect me to step foot in a hospital?" I scoffed.

"What's wrong with hospitals?"

"What is this, twenty questions!" I exclaimed in frustration.

Alison rolled her eyes. "What's wrong with hospitals?" she pressed on.

"Ugh, I don't know. I've hated them ever since I can remember. Maybe it was waking up in the hospital and my mind being this one huge blank. A traumatizing experience or something like that. I just don't like the antiseptic smell, and the white halls. What I especially hate though, are the white coats the doctors wear. I don't know why, but it makes me shudder to see them," I whispered.

Alison just sat and stared at me, with an expressionless look that could rival Cam's, but not quite.

"And now you probably think I'm crazy," I muttered.

She smiled wryly. "It's a bit late to figure that out, don't you think?"

"It's never too late, Al . . . It's never too late."

**- }{ -**

_I walked like a zombie, dead yet still alive, down the long corridor. White flashed all around me, the light from the frequent fluorescent bulbs blinding in their piercing intensity._

_I passed windows- large plates of glass set into the walls. When I came upon one I would turn my head slowly and peer inside, almost mechanically. Gruesome deeds were at work there. I saw children, mutated and disfigured; whimpering and crying out for consolation. I saw scientists too. Men and women in white coats, drawing blood and injecting the experiments (because that's what they were, that much I could tell) with who knows what. I witnessed back breaking tests at work. I watched the blood pouring out of wounds mingle with the sweat of exertion._

_It was horrifying._

_Finally, after what seemed like ages of skipping down Torture Street, I came to a dead end. All that was there was a piece of paper, tacked to the wall. Written on it in a spidery hand was one word . . ._

_Fang._

Fang, Fang, Fang, Fang, Fang.

That was all I could think about. The name, though how I knew almost instinctively that it was so I couldn't tell you, infiltrated every particle of my mind. Yet another cryptic message to add to my ever growing pile of puzzle pieces I had yet to solve.

Fang.

I rolled out of bed, glancing at the clock as I went. It read 1:37 . . . _Brilliant_. I wanted to just turn back around and fight for sleep, but I knew it wasn't going to come. I was too wound up. My mind was buzzing with this newest feat, and I couldn't shake the feeling that I was closing in on something extremely important.

I stumbled over to my desk, fumbling for the smooth surface of my laptop. When my hand came in contact with cool metal I slid my fingers along the edge until I found enough purchase to lift it open. The screen idled before hissing to life. I was blinded momentarily by the sudden brightness before I became accustomed to the shine.

I pulled up Google, because you're not cool if you don't use Google. Screw that other thing they came up with. I guess I'm just old fashioned that way, though . . . Unsure of my next move I simply decided on typing in 'Fang'. I waited for a moment to see what would happen. As the screen loaded in the first option I got was, oddly enough, something titled 'Fang's Blog'. With no other leads, I might as well check it out, right?

I scrolled through, just skimming. After awhile though, I couldn't stop myself from reading whole entries.

It was by some guy, around fourteen named Fang. He was pretty much what most would consider a runaway; him and his five other 'family' members. The only difference was, according to him, they were all -well- mutant bird kids. Apparently they had escaped from some place called 'the School', where they had been experimented on for years until they had escaped. Ever since then they had been on the run, hopping around from place to place saving the world, which was what their leaders supposed destiny was . . .

Their leader named Max, who also just so happened to be female.

For a moment, my breath got caught in my throat and my heart ceased beating completely. The coincidences were too uncanny! There was Max, the strong, defensive leader. By the way Fang described her . . . I couldn't help but automatically associate her with me.

Then Nudge, the overly talkative, fashion obsessed one. Did is seem so weird that I compared her with everything I knew about Monique Carson, whose home had burned down two years ago? During the fire a falling beam had knocked her out cold . . . also causing her to lose her memory.

Next Iggy; tall, blind, and a bomb expert. His personality melded with Jamie's so well . . . and now that I think about it, I think James mentioned in passing that two years ago he had fallen out of a tree and lost both his memory and sight.

Angel, who seemed so sweet and caring from what Fang had written, but could be feisty all the same. Then there was the name coincidence as well. How many Angel's could there be that were so similar?

And the Gasman, with his . . . uh, digestive problem that was a perfect match for Carter's. There was also the fact that Gazzy was Iggy's pyromaniac assistant, just like Carter was Jamie's. From what I had gathered from their vague descriptions, Angel and Gazzy had both been in some sort of accident that affected their memory . . . two years ago.

Finally there was Fang himself, who appeared to me to be just like Cam. I knew something had happened to Cam's memory too, I just didn't know what. The only fact I knew for sure was that it happened _two years ago_.

All in all, we have the similarities in character, plus the fact that we all lost our memory around the same time. For the first time I was able to put two pieces of the puzzle together.

We were connected.

With a feverish pace I quickly clicked my way back to the latest post. I glanced at the date and almost fell out of my chair. Without a pause I printed it out, followed by getting a few clean sheets of paper and writing some information down . . .

This was huge.

**- }{ -**

"Cam . . . Cam!" I hissed, running up behind him when I was sure no one was around. I noted that we were in the hallway outside of Biology. At the present moment, the area was deserted, which was lucky for me.

"Max? What's wrong!" Cam exclaimed when he saw my harried expression.

"I'm fine, I just- I have to show you something," I breathed, knowing my face was probably slightly red from excitement.

"Can't it wait until later? I'm going to be late for class," he replied.

"And since when has that ever been an issue?" I asked doubtfully, pursing my lips.

He paused for a moment before nodding in consent. "You're right."

"Come with me," I said, ducking into an empty classroom. He followed dutifully, and after making sure no one had seen I pulled the blind down and strode over to a cluster of desks.

"Are you going to explain to me what's gotten into you?" Cam asked, a smirk on his face.

In reply I flung out all my papers, sorting them out so they all laid in a row; each one visible.

"What is this?" Cam inquired curiously, picking up a random sheet and studying it.

"Look at all this! These people, they-" I went on to explain all about what I had learned from Fang's blog.

After I finished Cam was completely silent. I found my shoulders dropping. For some reason, I had expected him to get excited. Instead, he refused to meet my gaze.

Finally though, he broke the silence. "And what exactly are you getting at?"

"I . . . well . . . don't you think it's just the slightest bit coincidental?"

"Sure, I guess. I still don't understand what you mean by it though . . ."

I just stared at him, unsure of the words I needed to say to _make _him understand.

"You don't . . . You don't actually think these people, these so called 'mutants', are us . . . do you?" Cam asked slowly and carefully, as if I was much to fragile to handle what sounded like an accusation.

"I . . . uh . . . It . . . It makes sense though! I know it sounds crazy, and you probably think I'm insane, but I can't shake this feeling that this discovery is important! I know there's something more to the picture . . . I've always known there was something more. And now I finally think I've found it," I insisted, trying to explain in a way that would make him believe me.

"It's a nice thought, Max; and I want to remember my past just like you do . . . but this theory of yours . . . It's impossible," he said softly, putting a hand on my shoulder. I shrugged it of bitterly.

He didn't believe me.

"Look, I'm sorry bu-"

"No! You look! The similarities are almost facts. I woke up in the hospital August fifth. Fang's last blog post was the day before. When did _you _open your eyes to a blank mind?" I demanded, almost hysterical.

"August fifth," he admitted.

"Exactly! I asked the others, and they all said the same date. Tell me it's impossible now."

"Okay, I can see where you're coming from there. There's just one little detail though."

"What!" I exclaimed, throwing my hands up in the air in frustration. Why wouldn't he just accept it!

This time he put both hands on my shoulders, forcing me to look straight at him. I gazed into those penetrating dark eyes, frozen. "We don't have wings, Max. None of us do."

"Well yeah, but . . ." I muttered, confused.

"I'm sorry," he murmured comfortingly, but I stepped away from him, turning my back.

"Why can't you just believe me?" I whispered.

"It's not that I don't want to believe you. I do. You don't have any idea how much. And I know you have the right intentions, it's just-"

"You don't believe me," I finished with the words he wouldn't be able to make himself say.

"Stop that!"

"Stop what?"

"Don't make it seem like I'm the bad guy here. I'm not."

"Whatever, Fa- Cam," I muttered.

We stood there in silence, until once again he was forced to break it.

"I should be getting to class."

I made no reply, and so he brushed past me with another murmured apology. I listened to his footsteps until they vanished down the hallway. Once I was sure he wasn't going to return I whirled around with a vengeful cry. With one swipe of my arm I knocked all the papers to the ground, watching with tears in my eyes as they fluttered to the earth, scattering all across the tile. Maybe he was right . . . maybe all my hope _was _without reason.

Maybe it was all impossible.

**Authors Note: Okay, so the thing about Fang's Blog being the first thing to come up when I put in 'Fang' is true. Maybe because I research Maximum Ride so much . . . but still, it's pretty cool. Anyway, REVIEW!**


	22. Mind Numbing

**Authors Note: Things are actually winding down. Only four more chapters after this!**

_**Chapter Twenty Two**_

**- Mind Numbing -**

Nothing.

That was what I was doing. I just laid on my bed, staring at the wall with a blank expression on my face. Admittedly, I was moping. Pouting about how quickly Cam had dismissed my theory. Even though I had to admit he was probably right.

But we didn't have to mention that to him.

Mom kept trying to coax me out of my bedroom with the promise of an endless buffet of her amazing cookies, but I didn't budge. Ella and Monique stopped by and threatened me with shopping trips and extreme makeovers, but I still didn't cave. Ari and Angel begged me to come out and play, but I was able to deflect the cuteness by shutting my eyes tight. James and Carter pretended to throw a bomb they had created into my room, but all I did was glare at it for an hour as it sat and did absolutely nothing.

Now it seemed, as I heard the hesitant knocking, it was Cam's turn to give it a go.

"Max, open the damn door!" he called, pounding even harder on the wood.

"It's not locked you nimrod!" I shouted back, thinking maybe I should get one of those installed for such occasions.

The knob turned, and Cam stepped in, his black hair falling in his eyes like usual. I could still see brief flashes of them though, glittering like dark gems set into his tanned face.

"What could you possible want?" I demanded, rolling over so I didn't have to look at him. It's not that I actually blamed him for my stupid idea. In fact, I was more mad at myself than anyone else, but I still didn't want him to be around me at the moment.

It was embarrassing.

"What's wrong with you! You have to quit skulking. I know you wanted to believe your theory was true, but it's just not realistic."

"I don't even care about that anymore," I said honestly.

The bed bent under his weight as he took a seat beside me. I still refused to look at his face, but by the feeling that someone was boring a hole in the back of my skull, I knew he was studying me intently.

"I was talking to your mom," he stated.

"So?" I mused.

"She and I both think it would be a good idea for you to go back to Arizona," he said quietly.

"_What_!" I exclaimed, shooting up immediately. I almost fell over in my hurry to turn around.

"Not permanently!" he quickly said. "Just to, you know, visit for a few days. It'd be good for you. It might relieve some of the stress you're being put under. We all know you'd still rather live anywhere but here."

"Visit . . . Arizona?" I murmured in awe.

"Yeah," he replied, cracking a smile that made me grin in return almost instantly.

"It's not like I could ever bring myself to refuse . . . but I _can _think of one teensy, tiny thing that would make the trip ten times better," I informed him, becoming giddy with excitement.

_I was going back to Arizona!_

"What?" he asked curiously.

"You come with me."

"Why?" he inquired, his brow furrowing.

"Uh, hello! You're my best friend. You showed me all your favorite places in New York, so now I get to show you all _my _favorite haunts in Arizona," I explained. "It'll be great!"

"Are you sure you want me to come?"

"Well duh. Why wouldn't I?" It was amazing the way my mood had changed, almost like Ari.

"I kind of thought . . . well I thought maybe you were still mad at me for . . . for before."

"Oh," was all I managed to say, my smile fading.

"I really am sorry Ma-" he began.

"No, it's okay. Let's just forget about it alright? I don't want to think about it, or else it'll ruin the entire trip. We're going to stay completely calm. We're just going to have _fun_," I said, emphasis on the _fun_.

"Sounds good to me," he replied, smiling once more.

I think he might have broken his record.

**- }{ -**

I stared out the car window hungrily, drinking in the sight of my Arizona. My head was whipping back and forth just like Ella's had upon _leaving _home. I was trying to look at everything all at once. The scruffy creosote bushes, the cacti, the coiled snakes out sunning themselves on rocks, the cracked dirt ground, the tall mountains on the horizon, the clear blue sky, and the blistering sun whose heat I couldn't wait to feel beating down on me.

"Max," Cam said, and by his tone I could tell he was amused. "Calm down."

"How can I calm down!" I exclaimed. "It's been so long. I feel like I'm about to burst! How long until we get into town?"

"About five more minutes, and then another ten to get to the old house," Mom replied from the front seat.

I couldn't stop myself from bouncing up and down in my seat. I was in Arizona. There was living proof all around me. I rolled down the window, letting the breeze slide in. The air was humid and stuffy, just the way I liked it. It smelled different too. Not like pollution and waste, which was a nice change.

God, I had missed home.

A few minutes later Mom switched lanes, veering off the highway and taking the exit. My excitement only bubbled even more. The sun was baking the asphalt, making it shimmer like a mirage. We came upon houses, and I saw dogs and children playing in the grass. We encountered more cars as we progressed, and the tires were churning up red dust in the air.

I loved it.

I grew impatient as we drove through the town I grew up in . . . at least to the best of my knowledge. It seemed like we were going at a pace of ten miles per hour, and all I wanted to do was _move faster_!

Finally we left the bustling main street behind, and houses grew fewer and father between. We were going at least fifty on a long stretch of road, and I knew that at the end, around one corner, was home.

I found myself leaning forward in anticipation. After so long I would finally be back to the place I wanted. Even Cam was excited, that much I could tell. He tried to hide it as best he could, but I could see right through him.

Mom veered around the corner, and we picked up speed perceptively. She was glad to be back too. After what seemed like ages and ages she pulled into the driveway, the gravel crackling under her tires. There were more houses here. It was a pretty developed place considering it was outside of town, but there was a school district just a few streets over, which was convenient for walking there, which is what Ella and I had to do most of the time.

The door swung open and a middle aged man walked out to greet my mom. He must have been the person who bought the house. Mom had called a few weeks earlier and arranged a time we could stop by. They were launched into what seemed to be a pleasant conversation, so I grabbed Cam's arm and hauled him around the house, towards the back.

It was still fenced in, and I was able to automatically pinpoint the place where I had stood to watch the hawk. I skirted around that though, instead placing one foot at the base. I hefted my leg over the top, which was kind of a stretch considering it was a pretty tall fence. Cam muttered a complaint but followed me dutifully. I dropped to the ground lightly on the other side, facing a long stretch of desert.

"You're crazy!" he muttered, shrugging off his jacket. "What are we doing out here!"

"I told you I was going to show you my favorite places, didn't I?" I replied with a smirk.

"Yeah, but you didn't tell me they would be in the middle of nowhere!"

"Come on you baby. We only have to walk a few miles."

"_Miles_?" he asked incredulously.

"I'll race you," I offered.

"No way."

"Afraid you're going to lose?" I said mockingly, knowing that just like me, he couldn't step down after that.

"Is that a challenge?" he inquired, raising an eyebrow.

"No, that's a true statement."

"You're on," he muttered menacingly. "On the count of three."

"You got it."

"One . . . two . . . th-"

I shot off, my feet pounding on the earth. Dust crumbled underneath me, swimming lazily in the air and clouding my vision a bit. I was practically flying as I sprinted forwards, the land disappearing beneath my feet.

"Hey!" I heard Cam shout from behind. "You cheater."

I just shook my head, letting loose a laugh. "I don't cheat," I scoffed. "I do whatever it takes to give myself the upper-hand."

"We'll see about that," he growled, and to my surprise he was only a few feet behind me.

I looked back quickly, almost causing myself to stumble. How in the world did he gain on me so fast? It wasn't too long after that that he was keeping the same pace as well.

I ceased all talking, adopting a grim determination. There was no way that he was going to beat me. I could run faster than anyone I had ever met, and I didn't tire easily either. Sooner or later Cam wasn't going to be able to take the exertion and I would pull ahead.

Awhile later though, he was still breathing perfectly fine, and I could see the rock formations looming ahead. I put everything I had in me then, pushing it all into my legs, willing them to move faster. I started to speed up, more quickly than I ever had before, and to my delight I pulled ahead . . . but then he did the same, and once more we were neck and neck. It was him, then it was me, then it was him . . .

Finally we collapsed at the foot of the rocks, giving ourselves time to recollect.

"I definitely won," I insisted, not having broken a sweat.

"I don't think so!" Cam exclaimed, giving me a look.

We stared each other down then, me giving him the fiercest look I could muster. Finally after about five minutes of this he sighed and called for a truce.

"Tie?" he asked, offering his hand.

"Deal," I muttered reluctantly with a roll of my eyes. We shook on it, and then I told him that the next part of our adventure was climbing.

"Oh, great," he said sarcastically, glancing up, up, up the mountain.

"Come on, and make sure you follow me. I remember the best route to the cave," I informed him, and without waiting for his consent, I set off.

He grumbled the entire way, but finally we stumbled into my cave. It looked exactly the same as last time, and I could faintly see the remnants of my footprints near the back where the wind hadn't yet eroded them away. Apparently, it hadn't been disturbed since I left.

"Cool," Cam murmured, examining the small space with a critical eye.

"Yeah. It was kind of my escape back then," I replied, taking a deep breath.

"It's actually kind of nice," he said truthfully.

"This is going to sound kind of dorky, but when I came out of my coma, even at fourteen years old, all I ever really wanted was to fly." He looked at me kind of funny as I said this, and I wasn't sure why, buy I still continued on. "I would stand her at the edge, never afraid of heights . . . or the deadly fall."

"Max-" he warned as I mirrored what I was saying with my body. My toes crept over the abyss, hanging out into the empty air.

"I would spread my arms out like they were wings . . . and I would close my eyes . . ."

"Max be careful!"

"And I would just lean forwards, thinking maybe if I wished hard enough, I would magically sprout wings and fly away," I whispered.

I felt myself tip forwards, and my feet were slipping, not being able to hold my weight. I really was going to tumble into the sky this time, and there was nothing I could do to stop it. I squeezed my eyes shut even tighter.

"_Max_!" Cam shouted, grabbing me around the torso and hauling we back with all his weight. We landed heavily in a heap, tangling with each other. We both rolled a few paces into the cave, his arms still around me.

"What were you thinking!" he demanded, looking frantic.

"I . . . I knew you wouldn't let me fall. You never let me fall," I said numbly.

His face was so close to mine, and I could feel his breath on my face as he panted. Slowly, the crazed glint in his eyes faded away, and it was replaced with that same old emotion I could never quite decipher. Without actually meaning to I began leaning forwards, and he did the same. My eyes fluttered shut, and his lips brushed mine the tiniest bit before they disappeared abruptly. My eyes flew open in shock, and I frowned at the way Cam recoiled. He quickly moved away, coming to his feet.

"I . . . I should go," he muttered, and then he leapt off the edge as I stayed in place, completely frozen . . .

And numb, _through and through._

**Authors Note: That's sort of a cliffhanger . . . but not much. Review?**


	23. Remembrance

**Authors Note: I am so, so, SO SORRY! I didn't even think of warning you last chapter, but I was going on vacation for two weeks. I literally JUST got home. Once again, I'm terribly sorry!**

_**Chapter Twenty Three**_

**- Remembrance -**

For the next month or so things were really hard.

After a few muttered words on the way back to New York, there was mostly no contact between Cam and I. He went back to the Becks like nothing had ever happened, and I could tell they were relieved to have him acting normal. It wasn't exactly like the time when we got in our huge fight and stopped being friends with each other. That silence between us was made out of spite and anger. This one was mostly confusion.

Cam never stopped by or called. Every once in awhile, when no one else could see, he would nod a hello or something small like that; so he wasn't exactly ignoring me. No, he was simply . . . _avoiding _my presence at all cost.

And I didn't blame him.

I couldn't quite grasp my reasons for almost kissing him that day. Something alien had taken over my body at the time, and I had left myself to desire. He was my best friend, not my boyfriend. By breaching that void I had created a giant fissure in our relationship. I was standing on one side, and he the other. For the time being, there was no way to pass between the gaping abyss.

I never tried to press him into talking to me. To tell the truth, I was just as shaken up as he was. While I contemplated my reasoning's, he was no doubt engaged in a battle of his own, because I wasn't the sole person taking part in the action. He had leaned in too. Something had overwhelmed his feelings as well.

So I would let him think.

I had a lot of time to do that too. I found myself taking refuge in places so that I could be alone. Not just so I could mull over what had happened, but also to escape my sister and her best friend . . . because the date I had been dreading since it was announced at school was nearing.

October thirtieth.

You'd think more people would want to take their kids trick-or-treating, but not in this part of town. No, the biggest hit for Halloween night wasn't all the candy that was being tossed out by the handful. It was, in fact, the Halloween Ball.

Students from Kindergarten on up through the twelfth grade were invited to attend. It was funded by none other than the Becks.

Of course.

Ella and Monique were giddy at the thought of such a huge party. They were both sure that this would be the night they found true love, underneath the mask of some wannabe Prince Charming. I wasn't quite so optimistic. In fact, I was set on not attending _at all_.

Ella and Monique hadn't quite liked that.

"Max!" Ella had shouted in horror. "What do you mean you're not going!"

"I mean that I don't want to subject myself to such torture," I had replied, smiling.

"You obviously don't understand what this dance means. It's the perfect opportunity to get all pretty and make Cam realize what a jerk he is for ignoring you and dating that hag!" Monique exclaimed, then quickly covered her mouth at my aghast expression.

"I'm not going," I stated firmly once I had regained my composure. "And that's final."

Apparently, they didn't know what the term 'final' meant, because not a day later they were nagging me to go costume shopping with them. They were completely vicious and relentless. I didn't have a moment of peace when they were present.

Now there was only one week left, and I was still standing strong . . . and costume-less. Ella and Monique however, seemed ready to resort to desperate measures. That's when I got a visit from Mom.

"Max?" she asked, coming into my room.

"Huh?"

I was seated at my desk, finishing some math homework from forever ago. The teacher was threatening me with detention if I didn't get it finished. Not that I actually cared. What was a few hours in an isolated room? He would be doing me a favor, in fact. My grade was what I needed to raise, because without the assingnment it was plummeting.

"Ella was talking to me earlier-" she started.

"I didn't do it," I muttered without looking up.

She laughed. "I know you didn't do anything. That wasn't what we were discussin- Oh, would you please put that away for a moment and look at me!"

"Sorry," I replied, shoving my paper into a drawer while turning to face her. "You were saying?"

"Yes, well, Ella was telling me about this Halloween Ball, and-"

"I'm not going," I stated firmly, before she could say anything else.

"She told me that's what you've been saying, but after listening to her talk about it, I actually think it might be a good idea for you to go."

I stared blankly at her, my mind trying to process her claim.

"You what?" I asked in a monotone.

"I . . . I think it would be a good thing if you attended the ball," she replied nervously.

"No!" I shouted, surprising her. "Absolutely not! There is no way in hell I am going to sit in some overcrowded, stuffy room with a bunch of stuck up brats! I'd rather die then waste my time there!"

Yeah, so much for that.

"Ooh! Don't you think that color is so, so cute!" Monique cooed, running her hand down a length of fabric.

Despite my decision to _not _go to the Halloween Ball, here I was . . . two days from the stupid event, _costume shopping_.

Did I ever mention that I hate my life?

"You're so right!" Ella exclaimed in admiration. "What would you wear it with though?"

For the first time I glanced at the piece of material in Monique's hand. It really was pretty; a delicate looking turquoise blue that shimmered and flowed like water when it moved, glinting in the light.

"Oh . . . you're right," Monique said shortly, which surprised me. Her face crumpled and with a sigh she began to put it back.

"Wait!' I cried, lifting it from her hands. "I know what you can be."

"What?" Ella asked.

"A gypsy," I stated simply.

"A gypsy?" Monique inquired curiously.

"Yeah, you know . . . well, I can't define it! You know what a gypsy is!" I insisted. "And you can wear this around your head." I demonstrated how to tie it, smoothing down her wild curls as I went.

"Ohmygoodness! Thank you soo much Max! This is, like, perfect! I mean, I just love this cloth so much, and now I have a super awesome costume idea too. You are officially the best!" Monique shouted in glee, attacking me with a hug.

"Now for Ella," I announced, actually getting kind of into this, which was weird, because if you knew me well enough . . . you'd know I'm in no way; what so ever a shopper.

**- }{ -**

"Back already?" Mom asked when the three of us clambered into the door. I automatically collapsed onto the couch, and the others did soon after.

"Yup," I mumbled.

"Did you get your costumes?" she asked, appearing in the doorway with a dishtowel flung over her shoulder.

"Uh-huh! Max helped us pick them out. She's like, super good with costumes. So now I'm going to be a mysterious, aloof, gypsy lady! Isn't that awesome! And Ella's going to be the Greek goddess Aphrodite, because she's like, the goddess of love and beauty, you know?" Monique babbled on and on.

Mom laughed at Monique's rambunctious chatter. "What about you Max? What are you going to be?"

Everything got real quiet then and I said, "Nothing."

"What do you mean, nothing? I thought you were going?" Mom demanded.

"She was! And we looked, like, everywhere I promise, but even with my amazing shopping skills and Max's awesome eye for great costumes combined, we couldn't find anything for Max. I mean, it can't be something normal or anything. It has to be _perfect_!" Monique explained with a lot more words than I would have.

Maybe I wouldn't go after all . . . not that I could complain.

**- }{ -**

"I really wish you could go, Max. It's not going to be the same without you," Ella pouted on Halloween night. She was dressed in her costume, glitter splattered everywhere on her body. She looked gorgeous, like a real goddess.

"You'll have a good time with or without me, I promise."

She sighed. "Monique should be here soon, and then we'll leave. Are you sure you don't want to come? We can probably find something for you to wear," Ella insisted.

"I'm perfectly capable of staying home by myself."

"Come on, Max! Eveybody's going. Alison will be there . . . the _whole _gang. Even the little ones are coming! Everyone but you."

"I'm sorry Elle, but I'm just going to have to sit this one out," I replied, smiling sadly.

"Not if I can help it!" Monique shouted from the doorway. She was lugging a white dress bag behind her, and her makeup case was in her hand. She herself was resembling a pretty good gypsy.

"What are you doing!" I exclaimed, glaring warily at her luggage.

"I found you a costume," she stated, and I was surprised at her lack of details. "Now hurry up, we don't have time to tarry. We have a half hour to make you look incredibly gorgeous! Let's move people! _Move, move, move_!"

Oh crap.

For the next half hour I was put through torture . . . torture that no one else should have to feel.

The end result though, was not without it's good impression. When they allowed me to look into the mirror for the first time, I wasn't sure who I was seeing before me.

This girl had hair that shone bright gold, with threads of the purest copper strewn throughout. Her eyes were deep and a shining chocolate brown, like the finest Parisian chocolates, of the un-barfed variety. Her skin was almost glowing, and it shimmered when she moved, as if she was reflecting light every which way she turned. Her dress brushed the floor, a heavenly white that seemed to emit its own kind of illumination. There were soft, downy feathers sprouting from her back, a pure white to match her garments. She was an angel . . .

She was me.

"You guys," I breathed, unable to think of the proper words to describe how I felt.

"I know, I know; you look absolutely beautiful! You can thank me later. Right now we need to get to that ball! The others have already left. Our timing is perfect though . . . just right for us to be fashionably late," Monique said proudly, steering me to the door.

Was I really doing this?

**- }{ -**

Alison was dressed up as a . . . well I'm not really sure what she was trying to be exactly. I would ask her about it later, I guess. James and Carter had jumpsuits on with some logo on it. I'm pretty sure it had something to do with bombs, because there was a picture of dynamite with the words. Ari had a werewolf mask on, with fake paws on his hands, and Angel was twirling around in her ballerina tutu . . . with an axe through her head.

Uh . . . okay.

We all greeted each other, and swapped compliments before I said, "Right, let's do this."

Ella and Monique pranced off in front of me, skipping into the large room. I followed after, more slowly. I could hear the music playing loudly, and the sounds of people talking and laughing.

When I walked inside people turned and whispered, just like in all the movies. Okay, what the heck! Then, to make matters worse, when I walked forwards, the dang idiots parted like the freaking Red Sea! _What was going on_!

At the end of the chasm, there was a group of people. I saw Savanah look over in interest, which means Corbin turned his head too. He smiled at me, a friendly one at that. Mason and Mallory glared at me, and I saw twin looks of anger marring their features. They were murderous. Finally though, the other member of their group turned.

He raised his head as if in slow motion, glancing over his shoulder. When he caught sight of me he froze in astonishment. Slowly he turned his body completely, staring at me as if it was the first time he had ever seen me before.

"Max."

Even through all the noise and chatter I could hear him . . . but no, he hadn't said _Max_. The name he had uttered was different . . . _Maximum_.

Without hesitation he set off towards me. Mallory cried out to him but he didn't even acknowledge that he had heard.

"Max," he breathed when he came to a stop in front of me.

"Cam, what are you doing?" I whispered, glancing warily at the Becks.

He didn't reply at all. Instead he put one hand on my face and one on my waist. He tugged me forwards until my face was mere centimeters from his. Not a second after I thought this, his lips came crashing down on mine, and an electric jolt zapped down my spine.

Alien thoughts invaded my mind in a torrential rush. I saw things, little snippets of images, that were impossible for me to know. I heard voices- some happy, some angry. Then the familiar faces came, flashing in my head like a beacon. That was when I knew.

I remembered.

**Authors Note: Review . . .? No matter how much you hate me . . .?**


	24. Finally Whole

**Authors Note: I'm updating so fast partly because I feel bad for leaving you guys hanging for two weeks, which to me is waaay too long to wait for an update (I'm sorry, again!) and because I got so many reviews really fast.**

_**Chapter Twenty Four**_

**- Finally Whole -**

My name was not Maxine Martinez.

My name was Maximum Ride.

I wasn't a normal teenager raised in Arizona.

I was a mutant bird-kid raised in a dog cage.

I hadn't been in an accident that caused me a serious case of amnesia.

I had my memory wiped by evil scientists, one who was probably my dad.

I didn't have an average family of blood relatives whom I lived with.

I did have a mismatched Flock of un-related mutants like myself who I had been on the run with.

Upon realizing this I threw my hands around _Fang's _neck and kissed him back ferverantly. For the moment I didn't care about air, or lack thereof. All I knew was that I was kissing my best friend, who somewhere along the line had become something more to me than just a brother.

When our kiss had first started the room had gone completely silent, and someone cut the music off too. That was why I heard ever individual gasp of recognition . . . all four of them.

Finally I pulled back.

"_Fang_," I whispered, staring intently at him.

"You remember," he said, gazing right back with that look that I couldn't figure out for the longest time, but which I now recognized automatically. It almost made me laugh, in fact. How could I have been so stupid as to not understand that all this time that emotion had been . . .

Love.

"Max!" a voice rose out of the crowd, and I heard shouts of complaint as someone shoved their way towards us. There were more exclamations like this all over the room.

Four figures stumbled out into the open.

I couldn't stop myself. The tears welled in my eyes, threatening to tumble over. I ran and hugged Iggy fiercely, and he squeezed me back. Then I stooped and gathered up the Gasman and Angel into my arms as well. It seemed that almost everyone but Fang was crying, which wasn't a surprise.

"Oh my God, Max! How could this have happened! How could we have forgotten?" Nudge blubbered. "Oh Iggy . . . and Angel . . . and Gazzy . . . and Fang! How could we _forget_!"

"I have no idea, Nudge." I murmured soothingly, holding her to my chest. "I have no idea."

"Why do you keep calling each other that?" a new voice demanded. "Did you guys make up nicknames for each other without telling me!"

_Ella_.

She didn't remember. Whatever had jogged the rest of the flock's memories hadn't fixed hers too. This was not good . . . at all. We turned to look at each other simultaneously.

"We need to find Jeb," I stated, knowing it was what everyone else was thinking too.

**- }{ -**

"My mom is going to kill me," I whispered so I wouldn't wake the flock up.

They were all sprawled in the back seats of the van . . . the one we stole, that is. I was seated in the passenger seat, and Fang was driving. It would have been so much easier if we could fly to Arizona, but it seemed that along with our memories, our wings disappeared too.

Each of us had hurried to our homes and gathered what belongings were absolutely needed. I changed out of my dress in favor of a pair of shorts and a t-shirt, and Fang was in his signature black.

Fang didn't reply, only nodded his head.

Typical.

"She has to understand though. We have to go, for multiple reasons. We have to insist that they fix everyone else's memories, and we have to get our wings back . . . and figure out why the the hell they swiped our minds clean in the first place," I snarled, growing angry at the thought.

"It'll be okay Max," Fang assured me, putting his hand over mine and squeezing it reassuringly.

"How do you know?" I whispered despairingly. It wasn't like me to be doubtful, or to question myself so much. Fang was the one I always turned to for advice though, and right now I needed it.

"I don't," was all he said, and then the matter was closed for the time being.

"We should stop at a hotel. The others are wiped out, and they'll probably be hungry here soon."

As if on cue Nudge groaned, and muttered, "Max, I'm hungry."

I glared at Fang as he chuckled under his breath, smirking at me.

"That only proves that I have amazing timing," I muttered, socking him in the shoulder.

"Whatever you say, Max, whatever you say."

After that each of the flock members woke up, due to a particularly nasty alarm from the Gasman himself. The only bad part was it didn't have a snooze button, so we were practically choking on air the entire way until we found a place to stay.

As we stumbled out of the car I heard Nudge exclaiming, "Thanks a lot Gazzy!"

He just shrugged sheepishly, scratching his head sleepily. "I didn't mean to."

Nudge stalked off into the building with her head held high and I called, "Don't be a drama queen!" after her.

After that we checked in. A room for the girls and a room for the guys. I chucked a set of keys at Fang and he caught them in his palm, looping the key ring around his finger. We said our good-nights and set off our own way.

"How long until we get to Arizona?" Angel asked, taking my hand.

"We still have a few more days sweetie. Then we're going to kick some butt, and take some names," I told her, and she nodded solemnly.

Nudge immediately dropped onto one of the beds, sprawling out with her legs in every direction. That was fine by me. I wasn't going to subject anyone to the danger of sleeping with Nudge.

Angel crawled onto one side of the other bed, curling up automatically with her knees bunched against her chest. I brushed a few golden curls out of her face as her breathing deepened and I knew she was asleep.

Then I myself fell onto the mattress, only stopping to pull the covers over my body. I really was tired. Something about remembering my past had worn me thin. I closed my eyes and hardly a second later I was drifting . . . drifting . . . drifting . . .

"Max," a familiar voice whispered in my ear, shaking my shoulder lightly.

I shot up in bed, the sheets tangling around my body. My heart began beating a million miles a second.

"Let's take a little spin," Fang said, grinning down at me.

"Why?" I demanded, looking anxiously at Nudge and Angel's huddled forms.

"Because we can," he replied.

Uh . . . can you say major deja vu?

Except this time we couldn't fling ourselves out into the open air with the broad strokes of our wings. No, we had to settle for taking a worn path into the woods, hand in hand.

Great.

After awhile of silence we came to a small clearing. Fang sat down on a smooth rock, and I followed suit. He still kept his hand firmly in mine, rubbing circles on it with his thumb. I couldn't help but relax then, even though a few hours earlier I had been strung tighter than a yo-yo.

Without warning he turned towards me, taking my chin and moving it gently so that I was facing him. I raised an eyebrow in question, but he didn't pay any attention. He was too busy leaning in to kiss me.

We stayed like that for who knows how long, to the point where I was surprised we were still alive from lack of oxygen. I guess it was a mutant bird-kid thing. Who would have guessed that our greatest talent would be kissing for extreme amounts of time?

"I missed you," Fang murmured once we had regained breath, pulling me closer to him so that I was forced to rest my head on his shoulder . . . not that I could complain.

"What are you talking about? We've been around each other for over a year."

"Yeah, but the two years before that . . . they seem kind of brutal now," he replied.

"Well, for what it's worth . . . I missed you too," I said truthfully.

He kissed me again after that, but only for a second before I pushed him away abruptly. A thought had occurred to me, and I didn't like it one bit.

"What?" he asked in confusion, his hands on the small of my back.

I stood up, shaking his arms off. I walked a few feet away, turning my back to him. I heard him say my name again, but I ignored him. "You're such a freaking liar," I hissed.

"What are you talking about!" he demanded, approaching me slowly.

"You couldn't have possibly had time to miss me," I insisted. "You had Mallory, after all."

Fang sighed, and out of the corner of my eye I saw him run a hand through his hair. "You aren't seriously going to get all mad at me for that, are you?"

"Why shouldn't I? She's your girlfriend."

"No, you're my girlfriend," he stated, grabbing my waist and twirling me around. His expression was hard.

"Even after I came to New York you were with her. Obviously you liked her more than me. I don't see why that wouldn't stand to be true now," I said, frowning to myself.

"Look Max, when you first came to NY I did feel attracted to you . . . and it kind of scared me. I didn't know what to do. The closer I got to you as a friend, the more I tried to pull away when it seemed like I would try to push for more than that. I didn't think you'd want that kind of a relationship," he explained. "It makes sense now, especially with the way you refused to admit there was something between us all those years ago."

"What made you remember?" I asked suddenly.

His expression softened and he said, "You looked so beautiful. I couldn't take my eyes off of you . . . then I saw the wings, and it all just kind of clicked into place. It was like this immense flood crashed into my mind."

"I asked Nudge about it too. She said seeing us kissing was what made her remember," I laughed, not being able to stop myself from grinning at him. He returned the smile.

"And what about you? What made you remember?" he asked.

"It might of had something to do with the kissing," I admitted reluctantly, grumbling to myself.

"Oh, really?" he inquired. "Do you mind showing me what happened exactly?"

"Yes, I would mind," I replied, giving him a look.

"Oh no. I think . . . I think I'm losing my memory. Hurry Max! Replicate what I did before it's too late," he cried out mockingly. I shook my head, shoving him away with a laugh.

"No, Fang." I turned around and started walking away.

"Please Max! Every thing's . . . fading . . ." he exclaimed in fake despair.

"Oh shut up!" I cried, grabbing him by the shirt front and yanking his head towards mine.

It was just a short, chaste kiss, but I could feel him smiling under my lips. Without warning he knocked my feet out from under me, making me fall to the ground. I started yelling inchoherently at him as he smirked above me. I growled and kicked his leg. His knee gave out and he tumbled to the floor too. I pounced on top of him, pinning him to the ground. He was strong though, and so in a flash my back was pressed into the dirt.

"What is wrong with you!" I demanded, frowning. "Are you crazy?"

"Yeah, I am now that you mention it. Crazy about you," he said tauntingly.

Before I could reply his head swooped in again and my lips were kind of . . . busy. He was still positioned over top of me, using his elbows to support most of his weight. It was, admittedly, kind of awkward . . . but his kissing was making me kind of lightheaded, so I didn't pay too much attention to that. I ran my fingers through his midnight locks, pressing myself as close to him as possible. Things began heating up as his hand slipped under my shirt, coming in contact with bare skin. His touch sent tingles up my spine.

In the few seconds we had to take a breathing break, he murmured something I thought I'd never hear him say.

"I love you."

His lips touched down on mine again, but I pushed against his chest until he reluctantly pulled away.

"_What_!" I asked incredulously.

He gave me a disgruntled look before rolling to his back, giving me enough space to sit up. I looked over to see him lying there, his hands covering his face. I continued to stare at him, unsure of what to say.

"Please don't be mad at me," I whispered finally. I couldn't take the silence.

"I'm not mad at you, Max," Fang said softly. "I'm mad at myself . . . I shouldn't have said that . . . I'm such an idiot!"

"No, you're not . . . and I'm glad you told me," I said truthfully.

"Not glad enough to say it back, I noticed," he muttered gruffly

I crept over to his side, putting a hand on his arm. I tried to pry it away from his face, but he wouldn't budge. I huffed in frustration before going on to say, "Fang, come on, just look at me."

"No," he mumbled, like a freaking baby.

"Fang," I whispered.

"Just leave me alone Max."

"But this is important," I insisted.

"Just go."

Instead of doing as he said, I opened my mouth to speak again.

"I love you too."

**Authors Note: Okay, there is definitely a squirrel climbing all over the tree in front of my bedroom window! Haha, sorry, that's irrelevant . . .! So, review? Please?**


	25. Confrontations

**Authors Note: According to my clock, I'm technically updating two days later . . . but oh well. I'm only eleven mintues off from publishing this chapter the next day. **

_**Chapter Twenty Five**_

**- Confrontations -**

He didn't move one bit. In fact, he seemed to freeze entirely. Even his chest wasn't going up and down like it should have been.

"Didn't you hear me?" I asked. "I said I love you too."

"I heard you," he whispered through his fingers. "I'm just not sure I believe it."

I recoiled like I had been slapped. How could he say that? How could he, after everything we had been through together . . . Why would he not believe what I claim to be the truth!

I shot to my feet, brushing away the tears in my eyes. No way was he going to see me crying! I might as well die before that happened. With a shaky breath I said, "Well thanks for that. I really fricking appreciate it."

I turned away bitterly, wrapping my arms around my torso like that we keep me from breaking down. He could go ahead and be like that. Yeah, go right on ahead and tell me you love me, but act like it's a lie when I say it back. How very mature.

"Max?" he inquired in confusion, and I heard him clambering to his feet fluidly. Yes, only Fang could be able to manage _clambering fluidly_.

I swallowed thickly, around the lump in my throat. I swatted at another tear, running my hands through my hair angrily.

"Wait a minute, why are you crying!" Fang exclaimed, putting a hand on my shoulder.

"Because you're a jerk," I mumbled, my lower lip quivering. "And I'm not crying!" I stated defiantly.

Oh God.

"How did we go from saying the three words I thought I'd never hear you say, much less to me- to you telling me I'm a jerk!" he demanded, walking around so that he could look at my face.

"_I'm just not sure I believe it_," I mocked him. "Yeah, that's just great. Why would I even lie about it!"

"What? No . . . I mean, that's not . . . that's not what I meant," he insisted, forcing me to look straight at him.

"What else could you have possibly intended to mean?" I whispered.

"I didn't think you were lying, Max. I just find it hard to believe that someone like _you _loves someone like _me_. You could go out and find somebody ten times better, but yet you still say I'm the one you love," he explained.

"Well then you're incredibly dumb," I stated after a few moments of contemplative silence.

"Uh . . . thanks."

"Fang, there's no one better suited for me than you! You've been my best friend since forever. Heck, we even became best friends during our brainwashed year together. That's how strong our relationship is. We somehow get sucked together even when we don't seemingly know each other."

"Well, when you put it that way," he said, grinning.

He was such an idiot . . . but I loved him, after all.

**- }{ -**

I stood outside the door to my father's house. I wondered if he knew we had our memories back . . . like maybe there was some trigger that monitored us, and it was set off when we realized who we _really _were.

I had to shake that thought off though. We were going to find out momentarily after all, because the big confrontation was looming . . . just as soon as I mustered enough courage to ring the doorbell.

Turns out, I wouldn't have to make that decision.

"Oh for God's sakes, would you just knock already!" Iggy demanded, stepping forward and rapping on the door three times.

"_Iggy_!" I hissed, but it was already too late. I could hear footsteps coming closer. My time to formulate a good attack plan had run out. I would have to use every ounce of my quick wit to weasel answers out of Jeb now. Good thing I had a lot of that going for me, huh?

"Max, I figured you would be coming here sooner or later," Jeb said grimly as he opened the door and caught sight of me.

"So you know we know." Oh, I was good with those words, wasn't I?

"Come in," was all he said in reply, making room for me to pass. I glanced back at Fang, and he nodded assent. His eyes said, 'you don't have much of a choice, so you might as well go'.

Reluctantly I stepped over the threshold, the flock following closely after me. I made a quick assessment of all possible exits. The house, however, was a bird-kids dream. There were huge windows everywhere, sunlight streaming in. Hopefully, they would be easy to kick down.

"Would you like any refreshments? I'm afraid your visit was sooner than I thought, so I didn't have time to buy any food for everyone," Jeb said casually, as if we were back in the E-shaped house in Colorado.

The thing was, we weren't.

"We didn't come here to sit down for tea, Jeb. We came to get some answers, and I intend to do so, or else there'll be some . . . consequences," I threatened, giving him my meanest look.

"You are in no position to make threats, Maximum," was all he said in return, taking a seat in a high-backed chair. "Now please, sit."

He gestured to a cluster of chairs and a couch. Angel went over and plopped down automatically, and I glared at her pointedly. She just smiled angelically up at me, which kind of annoyed me. What the heck did she think she was doing!

"I think we'll stand, thanks," I snarled.

"This doesn't have to be quite so hard, Maximum. I'll tell you as much as I possibly can, I promise you that."

"Assuming that your promises actually meant diddly-squat to me, why would you do that?"

"I'm your father," he said simply.

I made fake retching noises. "Don't remind me."

He just continued to stare at me, unfazed.

"Been reading some parenting books lately? 'How to handle your rambunctious teenager' and the like? Because I must admit, you're doing a fabulous job of staying calm."

"Get to the point Max," Fang whispered in my ear.

"Right," I said, taking a deep breath. I fixed my shoulders straighter and turned my icy glare on Jeb. I wanted to strangle him so badly, but the physical violence would have to come _after _I got my answers. Then I might not be able to stop myself from knocking him out, the stupid noob.

"Why did you do it?" I pressed, my voice hard and my gaze deadly. I was like a snake, poised to strike. Any wrong moves and I would have him by the throat.

"Do what?" Jeb asked innocently.

"Take away our memories and ship us off to different parts of the country, you nimrod!" I shouted, not being able to stop myself. My anger was building, and I would no doubt spout things like this throughout the entire conversation.

Fang put a restraining hand on my shoulder, but Jeb told him it was alright, and that he understood my frustration towards the situation; which only made me more mad. I hated when people talked about me like I wasn't there! He of all people should know that.

"It was a long and hard decision to make. There were many who opposed to giving you a second chance. Those who wished to terminate you were overruled though, by a brilliant idea to wipe your memories and let you live out normal lives. After all, we had the technology and means to do so," Jeb explained calmly, as if we were talking about something as petty as the weather.

"You didn't have all the means though," I snarled. "You didn't have our _permission_, for starters."

"We did you a favor, Maximum. If I hadn't convinced the panel to let you live, you wouldn't be standing here before me now," Jeb insisted, something _finally _sparking in his eyes.

"You may think you were doing us a favor. You may think stealing away our memories was the right thing to do. You may think giving us a normal life was best. You may think losing the only family we had ever known was a small consequence in the bigger picture . . ." I trailed off, giving him a solemn look.

"The thing is . . . you thought _wrong_."

"Perhaps you're correct," he conceded, tilting his at at an angle as he examined me curiously, as if seeing me for the first time.

"So that's it? You're just going to sit there and agree as if you weren't to blame in the first place!" I exploded. "If what you say about being my father his true, and trust me, I have my doubts, then how could you have lived with yourself? How could you see me and not feel guilty about what you had done. Even before I was born you were the world's worst father! You turned your children into experiments. Lab rats. You even pinned two of them as enemies, watching them froth at each others necks. You cloned your own _son_ once, then did it again; this time making him what he should have been . . . A nine year old boy with a jubilant heart and a wild imagination. Not some mutant freak that you decided to Eraser-ify. Was he your spy, Jeb? Is that what little Ari is? Your eyes and ears to the flock. Was he sent to watch for development? Don't lie to me, or I swear I'll-"

"He was at first," Jeb set tightly, and I could see the tension in the way he glared tersely at me.

Good.

It seemed that perhaps my speech had really struck at nerve. To make it even better, every word I said had been true. Years and years, almost a lifetime, of pains at flowed out of my mouth.

Major word-barf.

"What do you mean, he was at first!" I demanded.

"He traveled around from member to member, just a normal orphan being tossed from home to home. He didn't know it, but he fed me valuable information concerning you all every visit he made. After awhile though, he was becoming too emotional . . . too attached to the places he stayed. When he stopped in to check on Cam I made sure that was where he stayed. He was of no use to the facility any longer."

I gaped at him.

"_He's your son_. How could you leave him out in the cold that way? How could you _ever _have left him behind? All he ever wanted was to please you. His biggest wish was to make his daddy proud. Instead you turned your back at his attempts. Then you fed him to the system after re-creating him when he was probably better off where he was. I'm sure there was a lot less pain and disappointment," I grumbled bitterly.

Jeb jumped to his feet, breathing hard. I almost smiled in triumph. Finally I was getting some kind of reaction out of him, other than a blank, nonchalant stare that made my skin crawl.

"I may not have been the father you've always imagined. I know I've made mistakes, and I regret ever bringing you two into my line of work. What they say about mixing business with pleasure is true. One thing though will always stand the same, and that is that I've _always _been proud of my children. No matter what happened I was never disappointed in either two of you. Never accuse me of anything different!" Jeb shouted, his eyes blazing.

"The worst part is . . . back in the E-shaped house when I actually thought I could trust you -depend on you in fact- . . . I wished you were my dad. I thought it would be so cool. You were our savior, after all. You helped us escape the hell we had been born into. You taught us how to fight and fend for ourselves. You showed us how to _live_."

"Max, I-" he started to say, his expression softening.

"Then you betrayed all the trust we had in you; revealing the traitor you had been all along." My expression hardened into an unreadable mask, and I crossed my arms over my chest defiantly.

"I don't know what else to do Maximum," he said dejectedly, his shoulders sagging. For the first time I noticed how old and tired he was getting. "I've tried to make you understand . . . I've done everything I could. I'm trying to help, but-"

I couldn't stop myself from cutting him off.

"If you really want to help, then you'll fix the damage you've created," I said scathingly, determined to get from him what I wanted. After that I could leave and this whole thing could be over and done with.

"How?"

"Jump-start Mom and Ella's memory-" I started.

"It's not that simple, Maximum. Once you've lost your-"

"Lost. You keep using that word!" I exclaimed. "We didn't _lose _our memories Jeb. You _took _them. Don't mistake the two ever again. Understood?"

He nodded with a sigh, slumping back into his chair.

"As I was saying," I continued. "Fix Mom and Ella's memory, and anyone else's you've tampered with while you're at it. Then . . . well, you only need to do one more thing."

"What's that?" Jeb asked.

"Give us back our wings."

**Authors Note: I know it might not seem realistic to you guys, but the next chapter's the last one . . . So review, please?**


	26. Dreamers, Dreamers

**Authors Note: Last chapter! Wow, it's finally done . . . Awe :(**

_**Chapter Twenty Six**_

**- Dreamers, Dreamers -**

I paced across the hotel room with my head bent low and my hands clasped tightly together behind my back. Fang watched me with a hooded expression from the chair in the corner, not saying a word or moving a muscle. I knew he was trying to make himself invisible by the way he would get this frustrated look on his face from time to time. He never mentioned anything though.

With a final sigh he got up and grasped my arm in his strong hand. I glared at him petulantly, waiting for him to unleash his hold on me, but he stayed put, meeting my gaze firmly.

"_What_?" I demanded crossly, in no mood to play his mind games.

"That's quite enough agitated pacing for one day, don't you think?" he replied, moving me so that we were seated on the plush sofa.

"I'm just sick of this waiting . . . Not knowing is killing me!" I exclaimed, burying my face in my hands with a frustrated grunt.

"Everyone is a little messed up right now, Max. The kids are really worried. It doesn't really help that you're falling apart right in front of them," Fang said softly, using his 'logical' tone.

"Falling apart!" I cried in dismay. "I'm not falling apart!"

Fang just raised an eyebrow and pursed his lips.

"I just . . . I'm not used to these kinds of things yet. It's been three years since I've had to act as leader to the flock. All I need to do is ease back into my position. Then I'll be perfectly fine," I insisted.

"Maybe you should go and talk to them. They're confused right now. You need to present them with their options."

"Options? What other options are there besides 'get your wings back' or 'the retards at the School can't fix you so we're stuck like this forever, you don't get a choice, sorry'?"

"That's the thing Max, you have to give them a fair choice," Fang said in that smooth voice of his, making it hard to argue.

Why had he slipped so easily into our normal transition? He had returned completely to Mr. Rock, while I broke down from the pressure. He was holding strong while I withered. I needed to get a grip on myself, and fast.

With a heaving sigh I said, "I'll go chat with them a bit. See what _they _want to do."

"Oh, she has a brain after all," Fang said in mock surprise, brushing a strand of hair out of my face.

I punched him in the shoulder before I scooted off the couch. I made my way to the door knowing fully well that Fang was examining me the entire time I walked away . . .

**- }{ -**

"Hey guys," I said by way of arrival, sliding the door into place with a barely audible click.

The flock was seated in various places around the room. Nudge and Angel were sprawled out on the floor, lying on their stomachs across from each other. They appeared to be playing some sort of card game. Iggy was flipping through the TV channels lazily, listening for anything good. Gazzy was rifling around in his backpack, throwing things out every once in awhile while muttering under his breath.

I had a feeling I didn't want to know what he couldn't find.

"'Sup?" Iggy asked, shutting off the power and tossing the remote across the room. It landed with a clatter next to the bathroom door, its batteries busting out before rolling a few feet away.

Iggy didn't seem to notice.

He did however, recognize the uneasiness in my voice, so he automatically sat up straighter. His bored expression was replaced with a more serious one, and he motioned for Gazzy to approach.

Once everyone was assembled before me, I took a deep breath to gather my bearings.

"Have you heard anything from Jeb?" Iggy asked, a tremor rolling through his tone.

"No, not yet," I admitted sullenly.

"So what's wrong?" the Gasman piped up, his blue eyes shining.

"I just thought I'd come and . . . discuss some things with you guys," I replied, dragging a chair over and taking a seat in it.

"What kinds of things?" Nudge wondered with surprisingly few words.

"Uh . . . options," I stated simply.

They all stared at me in confusion.

"You know that there's a chance Jeb might not be able to get our wings back," I informed them, "and if he can't that can cause potential . . . problems. He's never been faced with a challenge like this before. Not only that, he has to get the proper materials and complete the procedure by himself, in total secrecy. I don't kno-"

"What if we don't _want _our wings back though," Nudge mumbled so quietly I almost didn't hear her.

"What?" I asked, stunned.

"I mean, I like being a normal kid! I like going out shopping with my friends and finding cute clothes that I don't have to make sure cover my wings! I like having people treat me like I'm not a _freak_!" Nudge shouted, jumping to her feet.

I started at her wordlessly. It was like we were back at that school all over again, with Nudge insisting she wanted to get her wings cut off. At that time I had adamantly refused . . . but could I do that now, when they were already gone? Would I be able to actually force them on her when she didn't want them at all?

Suddenly, I understood completely what Fang meant by options.

"Nudge, you can't seriously . . ." I trailed off breathlessly.

This was insane.

"Just let me think about it okay? I haven't come to a definite decision yet or anything. I mean, there are a bunch of perks to having wings; like flying for instance. Man, I would sure miss flying. But the downsides are there as well. I think I'll-" she rambled on for a few minutes before getting up and fleeing the room. I didn't follow her. I knew she needed time to think things through.

"What about you guys? Do you have any aversions to getting your wings back?" I asked, trying to stay calm.

"Heck no!" Iggy yelled indignantly, his clear blue eyes flashing with anger.

"I always thought our wings were cool," Gazzy muttered, staring off at the spot Nudge at disappeared towards.

"Our wings give us power," Angel said thoughtfully, and I gave her a funny look. It wasn't exactly the answer you'd be expecting from an eight year old girl.

"Good, good," I said. "And now that that's all settled . . . I guess we wait."

And so we did.

**- }{ -**

Jeb looked incredibly worn out.

There were dark patches under his eyes, and his limp, graying hair was matted to his forehead; but sticking up in a few places like he had been running his fingers through it relentlessly. His shoulders sagged and he couldn't seem to stop his feet from dragging across the floor. He looked very . . . vulnerable. One little puff of air and he would blow straight over.

"So?" I demanded.

I had allowed him to sit down first, and get a drink of water of course. I mean, I wasn't a total tyrant or anything. And to tell the truth . . . well, he just looked all around bad.

He opened his mouth to reply with a worn sigh when a sharp chirping erupted from his pocket. He gave another tired grunt and pulled a sleek, shiny cellphone out, the screen blinking furiously.

"It's your mother," he said simply, passing it over to me.

Oh crap.

"Uh, hey mom," I greeted her after I clicked the little green button with dread.

"MAXINE MARTINEZ!" she thundered loudly, sounding extremely flustered and worried.

"Ow, jeez Mom! No need to bust my eardrums!" I cried indignantly, holding the phone away from my hear so it couldn't cause any future damage.

"WHERE ON GOD'S GREEN EARTH ARE YOU!"

"Mom, don't worry. I'm perfectly okay. I'm . . . I'm at Dad's," I informed her slowly, glancing at Jeb out of my peripheral vision. I didn't miss the way he smiled slightly at the sound of me calling him 'Dad.' I hoped he didn't get used to it, because it wouldn't last longer than this one conversation.

"BUT WHY! AND HOW DARE YOU LEAVE, IN THE MIDDLE OF THE NIGHT, WITHOUT TELLING ME! I WAS WORRIED SICK, DO YOU UNDERSTAND THAT MAXINE! WHEN YOU GET BACK YOU ARE GOING TO BE GROUNDED FOR SO LONG SOME PRISON SENTENCES WILL SEEM LESS HARSH!" she screamed inchoherently, going on and on about how much trouble I was in.

I just nodded, even though she couldn't actually see me; muttering, 'yeah' and 'uh-huh' every once in awhile to make it seem like I was really paying attention to what she was saying. The words though, were one big mush in my mind.

"Look, I'll call you later, alright? I have to take care of a few things here . . . then we'll talk more about my vicious, brutal, and totally unnecessary punishment," I said.

Okay, maybe that was overkill . . .

"UNNECESSARY! YOU TOOK OFF WITHOUT ONE WORD TO ME ABOUT IT! I THOUGHT YOU WERE DEA-"

"I gotta go Mom!" I shouted hurriedly, before I quickly clicked the 'end call' button, snapping the phone shut. I tossed it into Jeb's waiting hand, making a face the entire time.

"In a bit of trouble are we?" Jeb asked, amused.

"Cut the crap, flapjack! We don't have any more time to chat. You need to tell me what you found out," I insisted, my eyes narrowing dangerously.

The smile drifted from his face, and the light slowly faded from his eyes. He sighed again, slumping deeper into his chair. He refused to meet my gaze, instead choosing to glare at his hands.

Not good.

"Jeb . . . what did you find out?" I said slowly, but tersely. He was getting me wound up tighter than I needed to be.

"I'm sorry," he whispered, and every one of my hopes came crashing down around me. My dreams burned, fluttering away like a pile of ashes, each flake inscribed with my never-ending ability to survive.

"Just spit it out," I said bitterly, knowing exactly what he was going to say.

"It's impossible. I've researched and looked everything up . . . but it can't be done."

"Say it straight, Jeb!" I shouted, my fury overtaking my calm.

"You're not getting your wings back."

_You're not getting your wings back _. . . That one sentence rang through my head like a deathly toll bell. It resounded in my mind, a death sentence lying in the shadows. My life was virtually over.

_You're not getting your wings back . . ._

_Not getting wings back . . . _

_Wings . . . back . . ._

**- }{ -**

I shot straight up in the air, clutching at my throat and gasping for air. Wind whistled through my lungs, but the oxygen felt like it was suffocating me. Something was restricting my neck and I _couldn't breath_.

"Max?" Fang's worried voice reached me over the last glowing embers of the fire. Small flames leapt into the air, casting shadows around our campsite. We were somewhere in the Appalachian mountains, I remembered.

Slowly my thoughts caught up to me, and my breathing gradually slowed.

It was a dream . . . all of it . . . _only a dream_.

"Max, are you okay?" Fang repeated, crouching at my side. His dark eyes brimmed with concern, and his fingers were warm against my cheek.

"Yeah . . . I just . . . had a weird dream is all," I admitted, pulling my knees to my chest as I stared off into the distance, deep in thought. I could faintly hear the flock's deep breathing surrounding me, in various places around the fire.

"What was it about?" he asked after a moment, sliding to the ground beside me. He slung his arm over my shoulder, pulling me closer to him. I leant my head on his chest, basking in the warmth he radiated. I hadn't noticed before, but I was shivering.

I told him. Starting from the very beginning right to the last second, recalling every detail with almost perfect clarity.

"What if it actually happens?" I asked shakily, pressing myself even closer to his torso as I stared up into his fathomless dark eyes.

"It's impossible," he said with a laugh, grinning down at me.

"How do you know, though?" I pressed, frowning despite the giddy feeling his smile had given me.

"I could never forget you."

_**THE END**_

**Authors Note: And you now have the conclusion to the entire story! Awe, I'm kind of sad . . . And please don't kill me because of the end. Originally, that wasn't the way things were supposed to go AT ALL! But somewhere along the lines I got to thinking . . . and it didn't seem probable that Jeb could get them their wings back without surgically replacing them like with the Erasers; and we all know that didn't turn out very well.**

**So in the end, it would all be a dream of Max's. I really hope it doesn't ruin the entire story . . . okay, now I'm seriously worried. So PLEASE REVIEW and tell me what you think!**

**I'd also like to take the time to thank everyone that has reviewed, favorited, or alerted this story. I appreciate all your feedback, and it just makes me happy to know someone is reading my stories at all. I would love to make a list of every single person that has done one of the latter, but I think that would take way too long, and I really don't have enough patience for that. I'd get to the middle and quit, haha.**

**There have also been questions about a sequal. I would totally do it if a) I knew what to write a sequal about and b) I had the time with all the projects I've been wanting to get done for quite some time. So maybe, after all that is done I could do a sequal . . . but it would definitely be awhile.**

**Thanks again, and . . . I guess all I have left to say is I hope you enjoyed my story and goodbye! (For now..)**

**(Oh, and REVIEW!)**


End file.
